Love caprice
by angelikablue
Summary: (Translation of Capricho de amor ) Akane is a successful top model of worldwide fame. Ranma is a millionaire entrepreneur determined to buy the Tendo dojo. There's only one way Akane can keep her inheritance, and it consists in marrying Ranma. Will they both be able to fulfill the terms of their agreement : not to fall in love?
1. Chapter 1

_Story of a fic._

 _I published this fic originally in Spanish some time ago. This is an adaptation, that is, the story is not mine. I first read this story back when I was a teenager, and I liked it a lot. Many years later I came across the same story again, and it was just like the first time I read it. But this time I was struck by how much this story seemed to harmonize with the Ranmaverse. Maybe it could be adapted succesfully. The idea would not leave my mind for days until I decided to give it a try, and after a fevered weekend's work I finally posted it. Needless to say, I was thrilled to receive favs and feedback from those who liked it. One of them asked me to translate the story into English, and even though my English is far from perfect I decided to accept the challenge. So bear in mind that this is an English translation by a non native English speaker of the Spanish translation of a story originally written in English. So there's bound to be a certain amount of Chinese whispers effect going on here. I hope I didn't make too much of a mess of the story. In case anybody read my original version, I refined a few minor details here and there, but otherwise everything is much the same. Once again, the story is not mine, and, other than condensing and editing, the amount of adaptation work involved was minimal. All I did was to recognize a story worthy (to me, at least) of adaptation, publish it and traslate it to the best of my ability. Of course, any mistakes in it are my own and no one else's. Anyway, here it is, Shreehime. I hope you like it._

 _Without further ado, here's the story._

 **Love caprice.**

Characters property of Rumiko Takahashi's. History condensed and adapted from an original story by Lee Stafford.

 **Synopsis**

Akane is a successful top model of worldwide fame. Ranma is a millionaire entrepreneur determined to buy the Tendo dojo. There is only one way that Akane can keep her inheritance, and it consists in marrying Ranma. Will they both be able to fulfill the terms of their agreement: not to fall in love?

 **Chapter 1**

Akane was outdoors, near the north boundary, when she saw him. He was a tall, vigorous man, walking with a forceful and flexible stride _,_ observing attentively around, without any dissimulation or nervousness, as if he had every right to wander there.

Akane had left her house quickly and crossly, with her dog D-chan, obfuscated because of her recent face-off with Hinako. She felt an enormous need to be alone, and that stranger was there, that intruder wearing a black braid, without any right to trespass into another's property and who was invading her solitude.

She stopped and watched him warily as he drew near. The man kept walking unconcernedly, stopping within a few paces from the girl and the dog. He wore informal pants and jacket, but Akane, whose business it was to know something about clothes, recognized the quality of the garments' construction and fabric. Anyway, he was an intruder.

All the aggravation and, almost, desperation, that Hinako had provoked in Akane, now went to her head when she faced the stranger. But, since, deep down, she knew her discomfort was not this man's fault, she strove to maintain a reasonable courtesy.

—Excuse me— she said coolly—. But, are you aware that you are within our property?

—Am I? —his accent gave him away as a Kyoto native, which did not faze Akane, who had visited the old capital several times and had friends who had been born there. But she did not like the stranger's air, which showed somewhat of an arrogant slant—. Whose property it is, exactly?

—My father's, Soun Tendo, and mine —replied Akane icily—. Could it be possible that you might have strayed from your way?

The man gave a deep chuckle that seemed to Akane like a foreboding of danger.

—Miss, I never stray from my way. I always go exactly where I want to go.

Akane was not easily scared normally, but the stranger was tall and strong, and she, for the moment, was a little fragile. Suddenly she felt grateful of the canine company by her side, but, curiously, although D-chan pricked its ears with interest, it did not even growl at him. It did not feel threatened.

—Whether by mistake or intentionally, you are trespassing on private property—said Akane, endeavoring to feign assurance. In order to give her warning more emphasis, she looked directly into his eyes, and found an uncommon attractiveness in the face that looked back at her unflinchingly. It was an alert, intelligent visage, with a square jaw and deep blue eyes, like the sea when a storm is impending. The man looked at her, and his broad shoulders went up and down carelessly.

—All right —Akane went on—. I will go back home, and you'd better have left, when I come back with my father's katana.

Those grayish blue eyes watched her with a long appraising look, going over her slender body, clad in blue jeans and a loose-fitting sweater that emphasized her frailty.

—I guess I should put you at ease. I'm no intruder—said the stranger at last—. Actually, I have your father's permission to traverse this property as much and as often as I wish.

Akane frowned, puzzled.

—I don't understand. Why has he allowed you to do so? Are you a friend of his?

The man smiled, but that did not make her feel at all reassured, since there was a furtive, predatory quality in the stranger's humour. And his next words froze her.

—Not exactly—he said—. But it is usual to get to know a property thoroughly before buying it, don't you think?

It was a long while before she could reply. Or, at least, that was what it seemed to Akane.

—You must be mistaken. The Tendo dojo is not for sale, I assure you.

—You should talk to your father—said he.

But Father has avoided me all the time since I came back home, two days ago, thought Akane. She suddenly understood that what the stranger was telling her was true. It explained so many things... her father's guilty evasiveness, Hinako's smugness, her eagerness to tell her what she had been told to keep secret.

Akane could hardly see through the fog forming before her eyes. Tears of rage and desperation threatened to blind her, but no way would she allow him to see her cry. Of course she would talk to her father!

—That is exactly what I'm going to do! —she said, turning around, heading resolutely home.

—Woman! Wait! —she heard the stranger's voice behind her, but she did not stop.

The strain of running made her feel as if her legs were folding. She breathed with difficulty and her temples throbbed... her whole body was warning her that she could not sustain such a physical strain, not yet. But she went on stubbornly until she was sure she was out of the stranger's sight, and then she collapsed in the welcome privacy of a thick copse, and the last thing she remembered was D-chan's rough, wet tongue licking her cheeks.

And when she woke up, she was in her own bed, in the house she had loved from childhood, her ancestral home.

The memories came slowly to Akane's mind. She had been in Hawaii, modeling swimsuits, when she had caught a tropical disease that turned out to be more serious than what was expected. She had been repatriated by aerial ambulance. Modern medicine soon controlled the disease, but it left Akane weakened, and the physicians insisted on a complete rest, for a long spell.

Akane knew they meant it; the first tentative steps from bed to a chair had left her exhausted, and she knew well how draining a day's work as a model was. Besides, although thinness was essential in her job, no one really wanted an emaciated model.

—Is there some place where you can go to recover, for a month, more or less? — a friendly young doctor had asked her.

Akane hesitated. While she was still sick, she had refused to let her people know her state, convinced that it would prove to be just a temporary ailment. But, like a wounded animal, she knew that there was only one place where she could recover her strength. She had to go home. Hinako would be there, of course... oh, well, Hinako could go hang! The Tendo dojo was Akane's home, and her refuge.

—My father lives in Nerima —she said—. I could go there.

—Splendid! The place has the perfect climate—the doctor remarked.

So Akane went back to Nerima.

Darkness was falling over the peaceful landscape, but there still was enough light for Akane to see the cherry trees about to bloom. She blinked to keep back homesick tears, and wondered how on earth she had been able to leave all this behind.

When whe was younger, it had never occurred to her that she would ever leave. She took it for granted that she would marry some local young man and that she would lead a blissful conjugal life in Nerima, taking care of her children and enjoying her father's company.

As she grew, she started realizing that all was not fine in financial matters. Things broke, and they were not fixed or replaced, an essential maintenance was not always carried out.

But she did not wish for too much monetarily. And anyway, things could not be too bad; her father still enjoyed his cigars, his _sake_ and his go matches with his friends.

Then, when Akane was seventeen, coming back home one afternoon, she found a beautiful stranger rising gracefully to her feet to greet her.

—Akane-chan— Soun welcomed her—. I want you to meet someone who's very special to me. Her name is Hinako, and I hope you two will get along.

Akane was then as tall as she was now, but she lacked the poise and deportment her subsequent training would give her, while the young woman before her was so elegant and ladylike.

—Well—said Hinako, watching her—. How tall you are!

Akane knew then that Hinako would never be, would never want to be, her friend. Not that she showed herself obviously unpleasant; actually, she was all sweetness and charm in Soun's presence. But she had ways of excluding Akane, of making her feel like an encumbrance. Hinako wanted to be part of a couple, she did not want the presence of a stepdaughter a few years younger than she herself was, who could steal her man's attention from her.

At seventeen, Akane lacked the weapons she needed to oppose Hinako. With her exquisite beauty, Hinako made her feel inferior, because she had not yet realized that she herself was possessed of an even rarer and more striking beauty.

Soun Tendo, on his part, bedazzled by Hinako, was determined to make her his wife. And since Hinako was likewise determined, Akane had no other choice than to take matters philosophically.

But the situation did not improve. As the new Mrs. Tendo, Hinako administrated the dojo for her own benefit, and that meant spending money every time she thought it necessary, which happened very often. It was natural for a newlywed to want to make changes in her home, but Akane could not help bemoaning when beloved pieces of furniture disappeared, to be replaced by something modern that clashed with the whole ensemble. When her bedroom was redecorated and re-furnished, without her being consulted, Akane had her first serious quarrel with her stepmother.

Trembling with fury, she flung the pillows to the floor and swept away the knickknacks on the hated new dresser, while Hinako looked on, blinking, in apparent injured inocence, and Akane's father stood a few steps back.

—But, Akane... darling... I thought all girls loved pink... these drapes are so pretty, and it was time for you to have new furniture, instead of those old, ugly things.

—I hate pink! I like my things... I like my room the way it was!—shouted Akane rebelliously—You had no right to change my room without my acquiescence!

—Akane-chan, I think that Hinako wanted to surprise you —her father intervened, in a conciliatory air, and Akane turned against him as well.

—Don't call me that! Never again call me that! —"Akane-chan" had been the affectionate way her mother had called her. Akane barely remembered her, as a persistent, dark-haired, obssesingly soft image.

Only when they were alone, the innocent air disappeared from Hinako's face, and she gave Akane a hard look.

—I'm your father's wife, Akane, whether you like it or not; this is my house and I will do in it whatever I please. You'll have to accept it. And you'll gain nothing by going to your father behind my back, because I will be the winner—she said triumphantly—. Never forget it.

From that moment, everything went from bad to worse. Hinako always contrived to make Akane look at fault. Her father, she knew, thought she was only showing herself difficult, in a typical jealousy reaction toward an unwanted stepmother. But Akane would have willingly accepted her father's marriage to any other woman. But he had to choose Hinako, who detested martial arts, who considered her stepdaughter a hindrance and who was decided to make her life miserable.

Akane put up with the situation for almost a whole year, and when she turned eighteen, decided she had had enough. Since Hinako was there to stay and there was no way for them to coexist harmoniously, it was evident that it was she who had to leave. In a way, she was admitting defeat, but she told herself that, sometimes, to yield was the only possible strategy.

She only told her father that it was time for her to go out to the wold and get her own life. There was no purpose in bringing out recriminations that her father would undoubtedly disregard. He was married to Hinako, and so under her thumb, that he could not brook the least complaint about her.

—But, where will you go? What will you do? —asked Soun, stunned—. I always thought you loved the dojo.

—I love it —Akane shrugged, trying not to think about how much it hurt her to leave her beloved home—. But I want to get a job, and most of them are found in the city. I'll come to visit you once in a while—she added lightly.

She stayed with an ex-schoolmate in Tokyo while she looked for work. The only position she could find right away was as a waitress in a cafeteria, although she would not earn enough money to live on her own, once she left her friend's hospitality. She did not seem anxious to get rid of Akane, but Akane was. She longed to achieve self-sufficiency, to depend on no one.

On arriving home one night, exhausted, her friend, Sayuri, had a friend with her. Akane was not in the mood to be companionable, so she decided to retire to her room.

But the young visitor was watching her in a very peculiar way, evaluating her with his eyes.

—Hey, Sayuri! —he said reproachingly—. How come you never told me how attractive your friend is?

Akane paled, fearful that, if he was one of Sayuri's beaux, she would not be pleased about it. But he turned out to be her friend's cousin, and a professional photographer.

—Have you ever thought about modeling? —he asked—. I'm sure you would be perfect. No, I really mean it... turn around... slowly... like that...

—This is ridiculous! —protested Akane, laughing embarrasedly. But a few minutes later she was turning her head, her body, moving and posing until the photographer stated delightedly that she was a natural model.

—You'll need a photo shoot, of course, but I'll do it gladly—he said.

Akane shrugged and agreed; she did not take it seriously yet, but she had nothing to lose. It was only when she saw her pictures that she understood the extent of her own potential. She was very photogenic, and less that a week later Akane was hired by an important agency.

She had not been an instant success. Young and unsure of herself, she had had to learn the trade gradually. But Akane had the kind of beauty that did not depend on extreme youth, and as she matured, her attractiveness bloomed. When she turned twenty, her services acquired a great demand, and hers was the picture that smiled from the cover of many magazines.

Her work took her now to many parts of the world, and she settled in Tokyo, where she shared an apartment with a friend. Once in a while, as she had promised, she visited Nerima, but her stays were short. Now that she was a woman with her own career, she did nor feel intimidated by Hinako, and most of the time they kept a cautious truce, only broken by some occasional shooting. Akane suspected that Hinako felt envious of her success, but now, at least, she could not make fun of her awkardness, since her new appearance and style had taken her all over the world.

Now, tucked in her bed, Akane made a mental tally of the events of that afternoon, her walk and her encounter with the stranger, who had communicated her his intention of buying the Tendo dojo. She remembered his complex, interesting face, his tall, slim body... Who was he? What kind of man would show interest in buying an almost ruined dojo and with such large grounds?

Oh! What did it matter! Why should she wonder about him and his motives, when the important thing was the fact that her father wanted to sell the estate? What was important was not to whom, of course.

She opened her eyes slowly, and saw doctor Tofu standing beside her bed. He had been the family doctor since Akane was a little girl.

—Hello, young lady. I did not expect to be sent for so soon—said the physician.

—I'm sorry, doctor Tofu. I think I overestimated my strength —she said in a weak voice.

—Indeed —said Tofu, with paternal severity—. Exercise is good, but in moderation, when one's recovering, Akane. You will need to rest a lot. You have been very sick, and you should not forget it.

—All right, doctor —she nodded docilely—. I promise you to take things easy.

—Nobody who knows you would expect that from you —said Tofu, grinning—. You have always loved martial arts; I can't understand how you can put up with the life of a model.

The physician put his utensils into his satchel.

—Well, now I must go to put your father at ease. Don't forget my advice, I don't want to be bothered again because of you— he concluded with a smile that underscored the fact he was joking.

When the door opened again, it was not Soun who entered, but Hinako. Akane looked neutrally at her. Hinako was wearing sports clothing, although the only sport she practiced was jogging in the shopping mall.

—You gave us quite a fright—she said, with false cheerfulness—. But doctor Tofu says you'll be fine.

Akane did not think, even for a minute, that it was worry about her health what brought Hinako there, so she disdained her prelude.

—I already know—said Akane—. You won't have to keep silent anymore. I know that Father wants to sell the dojo. And I suppose you'll be happy—Akane was not able to control the sarcasm.

—It will be a relief to get rid of that old thing of a house and to live in a civilized place—said Hinako acrimoniously—.Anyway, that is what your father wants, and that is what matters—she added hypocritely.

Akane laughed harshly.

—Oh, yes, sure! How long did it take you to convince him?

—I have no need to put up with this from you—stated Hinako—. We will sell and that's all. I suppose he told you —she concluded meaningfully.

Akane frowned.

—Ranma Saotome, of course. The one who's buying the dojo. Who else? —said Hinako impatiently.

—Saotome? — questioned Akane—Is that his name? How did you know I talked to him?

—Don't you remember? It was he who carried you here in his arms! Very dramatic, Akane. But it will be to no avail. Faint all that you want; the Tendo dojo will be sold. And that likable millionaire, Mr. Saotome, will turn the estate into a shopping mall. What do you think of it?

To be continued...

 _One last thing, just in case._

 _Feel free to send me any feedback/comments/criticism/corrections you like, except regarding geographical observations, e.g. the relationship Nerima/Tokyo, whether there is a ferry connecting Japan and Thailand (coming later) and such. Although of course I had to do some research, I at no time had the objective of reflecting a total accuracy in every detail, I focused mainly on the romantic aspect of the story, and my only aim is to entertain. Other than that, this would-be writer thanks all the help her readers can offer her to refine her art of writing._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Akane got up the next day and without further delay went to face her father.

"I didn't want to tell you, until you had somewhat recovered your strength,"he explained, a little ashamed. "I knew you would be dismayed. It was just bad luck that you ran into Saotome."

Akane grimaced.

"That terrible man... How could you sell to such a fellow? Hinako says he's turning the dojo into a mall! Father, you can not allow that to happen to the Tendo dojo!"

"That terrible man, as you call him, took the trouble to bring you home yesterday,"said Soun. "And besides, whatever he does with the dojo once he buys it is none of our business."

"Then... is it true?

"It's true that he plans to branch his business into this part of Japan, "admitted Tendo. "He is an ambitious man, and well able to pay what I'm asking for the estate. Buyers like that do not exactly fall out of trees, you know?"

Akane rose to her feet and walked up and down the room.

"Father, think about it again, that is all I'm asking. The Tendo dojo has belonged to our family since more than four centuries ago. You cannot lose it just like that! We could keep it, if we limit ourselves a little. I'll try to send you more money..."

"You have already invested too much money in this white elephant, Akane. You're young and you should be spending that money on yourself, enjoying life. I want to enjoy life a little, too... take Hinako out, buy her things."

"Hinako!" exclaimed Akane tartly. "Surely she has something to do with your decision!"

Her father adopted such a piteous air that Akane felt sorry for him, although she knew very well that he was a charming man, but weak in character.

"Don't blame her too much, daughter," he begged. "She is young too, and does not want to spend her days in an old manor that only creates expenses."

"She knew it when she married you; every woman who marries a Tendo, knows that she takes the Tendo dojo on as well,"accused Akane, unrelenting.

Her father was starting to get impatient.

"Please, Akane," he said, exasperated. "It is only a house. And there will be no more Tendos to inherit it, since once you get married you'll stop being one."

"Well, I'm so sorry I was born a girl!" replied Akane reproachingly. "But you and Hinako could easily solve that problem."

"Hinako refuses to have children as long as we keep living here. She's not happy... she feels like a prisoner."

So that was the bribe, the incentive Hinako dangled before her father!

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do or say to make you change your mind," Akane said dully.

"No, there's nothing you can do. I have to sell, Akane. I have no other choice left," insisted Soun. "I understand you are dismayed now, but you'll get over it. Someday you'll have a husband and a home of your own."

That argument did not convince Akane. The Tendo dojo was not just a house. It was a link in a chain of generations of Tendos, reaching back several centuries in the past, a chain she herself felt to be a vital part of. This land was rooted deeply into her whole being. And all for what? So that that horrible man, Saotome, could build his shopping mall?

Akane turned around to look out the window to the garden. Since she did not answer, her father took it for granted that he had won the argument.

"That's like my daughter. I understand it has been a blow to you, but as soon as you get used to the idea, I'm sure you'll understand there is no other choice. Now, why don't you go and change? I invited Mr. Saotome to have a drink with us before lunch."

Akane turned around and looked at her father, horrified and incredulous.

"Is that man coming... to have a drink with us? That is just like... like fraternizing with the enemy!"

"He's not our enemy," stated Soun exasperated. "Why can you not be sensible about this matter, Akane? Saotome is offering me a good amount of money and there's no reason why I should consider him to be an enemy. Besides, he did a good deed to you the other day and you should thank him, whatever your opinion of him.

Akane pursed her lips angrily.

"All right, I'll thank him," she said. "But I won't change my clothes. Mr. Saotome will have to accept me as I am."

She would not take the trouble to doll up for the man who was turning her out of her home. She was dressed in denim blue jeans and a short-sleeved chocolate sweater, her bluish hair was brushed back, and her only ornament was a thin gold chain hanging from her neck.

Her informal attire and her face without make-up undoubtledly would give Ranma Saotome the message she wanted to communicate: I will thank you, because I'm a well-bred woman, but no way I'm dressing up to please you, because I don't like you nor what you represent.

She almost faltered in her purpose when she saw Hinako coming down, dressed in an exquisite gown and with her hair dexterously arranged around her attractive face. But Akane straightened her shoulders resolutely. The contrast between the two of them would make the message even clearer.

Hinako looked at her in amused disdain.

"We are expecting company, didn't you know, darling?" she said sweetly.

Akane looked back at her with deliberate insolence.

"I see no need to dress so elegantly for that."

She sat down, crossing her shapely legs with the elegance she had acquired in her profession, aware that that was something that annoyed Hinako intensely. Although Akane knew that those were rather small victories. They could not compensate the fact that the final victory was Hinako's.

Ranma Saotome arrived punctually, courteously shook Hinako's and Soun's hands, and then turned toward Akane, with a slight smile barely showing in his expressive mouth.

"Miss Tendo? I hope you're feeling better today."

Akane allowed her hand to be shaken. This man's warm fingers were strong but delicate at the same time. Those hands could break anybody's bones, or touch a butterfly without harming it. Akane took back her hand too quickly.

"I'm fine, Mr. Saotome, and I must thank you for your help yesterday," she said in cold politeness.

"You "must" not thank me for anything. Thank me if you want to, but you're under no obligation to do so," replied Ranma, in a deceptively mild tone.

Akane stared at him. This man did not play according to the established rules. He was supposed to receive the message, but not to answer it in such a blatant way, and she caught herself watching him, with a fascination she did not understand.

"Akane was a little upset about the sale of the house," Hinako intervened, with her usual honeyed voice. "She was born here, you know? It was a blow for her."

"I understand," said Ranma Saotome, but although he was answering Hinako, his eyes never left Akane's face.

"Where is your home, Mr. Saotome?" she asked, in an indifferent tone, as if she only wanted to make polite conversation.

"I don't know rightly how to answer your question. I was born in Tokyo, but my family moved to Kyoto many years ago. Now I hope to settle in Nerima for some time. I guess I could be described as a professional wanderer."

A pirate, rather, thought Akane in distaste. She accepted the _sake_ her father had poured for her, Hinako drank her jasmine tea, and Saotome asked for vodka. Soun poured him a generous share.

"How do you want it, with tonic, or soda...?"

"Straight, thank you. Just a little bit of ice." Ranma drank the burning liquid without blinking, and smiled at everybody's amazement. "It is usual to drink the whole thing in one draught."

"And to smash the glass on the fireplace, no doubt," commented Akane drily.

The smile remained inalterable on those firm lips; why did she then feel threatened? Was it that icy glow in his eyes that warned her that Ranma was not a man capable to be made a fool of?

"Oh, no, Akane. This wineglass is made of the best crystal; it would be a sacrilege to break it," he said lightly.

"And they will be yours soon, so it would be a shame to smash them," replied Akane. Saotome's smile turned into a thin ominous line.

"I'm sure Mrs. Tendo will want to have this glassware in her new house. All I need is the property, Akane."

Soun hurried to fill the wineglasses again, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"You're being very rude, Akane," he rebuked her. "You must excuse her, Mr. Saotome. As my wife already explained, Akane is not very happy about the sale of the house. Besides, she has not been well lately."

"I supposed so," Saotome looked at her speculatively. "Do you travel a lot? I'm asking because I'm under the impression of having met you before. I'm sure I have seen your face somewhere."

"Not unless you read fashion magazines, Mr. Saotome. Or maybe your wife reads them."

It was not curiosity, Akane assured herself. Actually she could not care less whether the man was married or not.

"I'm not married. But I have female friends, and they do read fashion magazines. Are you a model?"

Akane nodded, but before she could add anything, Hinako intervened, deciding no doubt that her stepdaughter had already monopolized the visitor's attention long enough, and started barraging him with questions about Kyoto. She had never been there, but it must be a fascinating place... maybe she would visit Kyoto later that year...

Ranma answered Hinako's questions politely, but did not seem bedazzled by the seductive looks she shooted at him, observed Akane. What kind of woman did he admire then? Who cares?, she told herself at once crossly, drinking what was left in her wineglass in one draught.

Saotome refused another drink with a shake of his head.

"Unfortunately, I have to drive."

"But you must stay and have lunch with us," said Hinako, placing her hand on the visitor's arm.

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Mrs. Tendo. As I told your husband before, I have a previous engagement," he explained. "But thanks for your hospitality."

Akane rose from her seat and announced:

"I'll see Mr. Saotome off, Father. You and Hinako can go and have lunch."

Soun smiled good-naturedly, relieved by thoughts that his daughter seemed willing to make amends for her former rudeness. But her father was so easy to deceive, since he always believed what he wanted to believe, thought Akane. Not like that man.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me in private, Akane?" he asked, with a captivating smile.

"Only this," Akane turned around, encompassing the whole dojo with a wide movement of her arm. "I love this house. It's likely you don't understand how much. But my family have lived here since the time of the shoguns, if the history of Japan means anything to you. Before allowing you to come and tear it down, I'd rather burn it to the ground!"

Ranma threw his head back and laughed loudly. But his laughter ceased as quickly as it had come, and placing a hand on each of Akane's shoulders, he looked at her with icy intensity.

"I admire your courage, Akane, but what you intend to do is considered a crime," he said in an incisive tone. "And harbor no doubt about it that I'll have you thrown in jail. Have a nice day."

Akane stayed in her place as if petrified, watching him get on an elegant sports car and then disappear. But it was not his mocking laughter, or the threat he undoubtedly would not hesitate to fulfill, what left her speechless, almost breathless. It was the odd and not entirely unpleasant feeling those strong hands on her shoulders provoked in her.

The Tendo dojo was close to Nerima's downtown, and Akane headed there the next morning, leaving the small compact car parked in one of the side streets.

Akane strolled by the main street, waving at her acquaintances. She had been working out lightly and was still wearing her training attire. Her father and Hinako had given her letters to mail, and she herself had brought some of her own. The post office was very small and Akane knew from experience that it always required a long wait.

But nobody seemed upset or in a hurry. There were friends to chat with everywhere. A smile curved Akane's lips. Everything was so different from Tokyo, where people rarely had the time or the inclination to wish one a good morning, so different from the bustle and hustle of airports and hotels, where she spent a lot of time because of her work.

The smile froze in Akane's lips, when entered the post office. Ranma Saotome seemed to fill up the tiny office with his awesome height.

"How long does it take to get one's mail? This is taking forever," he remarked.

"Maybe you'll get out of here next Tuesday, if you're lucky," said Akane, with dry humor. "No one is in a hurry; there's no need of that. Nothing has changed much in a hundred years, nor will it change, no matter how much you insist on it."

"Why are you so sure that I want to change Nerima?" asked Saotome, unfazed. "You enjoy jumping to conclusions, don't you? Do you ever stop to think before you attack?"

She laughed harshly and briefly, wanting to dissimulate the emotion she had promised herself not to let loose.

"Listen," she said hurriedly. "If you have something else to do, I'll ask for your mail for you."

"Good idea," said he. "See you at the Neko-hanten, when you're done here, all right?"

And then he left, giving her no time to tell him whether she agreed or not. Akane pursed her lips. What she had wanted was to get rid of Ranma. She had not planned on any kind of date.

After leaving there, Akane went shopping for some items she needed, and after that, to the newsstand. In the way there she stopped, inevitably, to chat with acquaintances that greeted her. More than twenty minutes had passed when she finally headed to the Neko-hanten.

But, in spite of the delay, she slowed her steps rebelliously the rest of the way.

The Neko-hanten was an old Chinese restaurant with a few rooms for guests. Ranma was leaning on the bar, chatting with Cologne, the owner.

"Ah, you're finally here," he said, when Akane came in. "Do you want us to sit at a table?"

"I'm fine here," she answered.

"All right." Ranma ordered another drink. "Put it on my bill, please, Cologne."

Akane stared at him in amazement.

"I didn't know you were staying here."

"That may be because you didn't ask," observed Ranma ironically, to remark afterwards: "I didn't know you were interested in martial arts. For some reason, I could not imagine your stepmother practicing them."

"Hinako practicing martial arts? Don't make me laugh," Akane could not conceal the disdain in her voice, and Ranma commented:

"I don't need to be terribly perceptive to realize you and Hinako don't seem to get along. And I realize that she is not precisely opposed to the sale of the dojo."

"Were it not for Hinako, there would not be any sale."

"Akane, don't deceive yourself. Your father is in a terrible financial situacion," Saotome remarked softly.

"He would not be in a terrible situation, had he nor married Hinako, had I taken over the dojo's administration," replied Akane drily. "We would never have been rich, but there would have been no extravangances, and the situation would have righted itself."

"Perhaps, but then you would have not had fame and success and an international career."

"Do you think that compensates me?"

"I don't know," Ranma's reply was honest and direct. "We have to accept whatever life offers us and take the best possible advantage."

"Is that what you did?" the question sprung to her lips, involuntarily.

"In a way. My people came to Kyoto without a penny, and my father... well, he tried, but none of his plans was a success, so I started with nothing. What I have, I have obtained with my own efforts."

Akane realized, uncomfortably, that she had been talking to him as if he were her ally, as if he understood her. She had to remind herself of the true situation.

"Wonderful! Great!" she exclaimed tartly. "So, to carry on building Ranma Saotome's marvelous destiny, you have to raze a historical dojo and ruin my life by the way!"

"I don't think so, Akane," he said unfazedly.

"You don't think so!" she repeated fiercely, slammed the glass on the bar, turned around and left the place, leaving Cologne and the other clients staring disconcertedly at her.

Ranma found her on her car, with her hands on the steering wheel.

"This is, definitely, the last time I come after you when you throw one of your tantrums, young lady," he said severely.

"Did I ask you to do so?"

"No, but you have the disturbing habit of fainting," Ranma reminded her. "Are you not under doctor's orders to take things easy?

"That's none of your business."

"Of course it is! When a lady is in my company, I harbor the strange idea that she's under my responsibility," he stated.

A thought crossed Akane's dazed mind. A woman who had Ranma Saotome as the one responsible for her would never have to be afraid of anything. But she was not such a woman, since she and he were fated to be always opposed to each other.

Slowly and involuntarily she turned to look at him.

"Why don't you get to know the facts, before adopting that attitude?" Although his tone was collected, there was a tinge of anger in his voice. "You have imagined me as some kind of monster who is going to destroy your home, but at no time you have asked me what do I intend to do. Use your brain, Akane, or I will start believing the myth that all models are decorative dolls, withouth any gray cells."

His controlled exasperation left Akane speechless, confused, looking at him with bewildered eyes, full of questions.

"I'm buying the Tendo dojo, it is true," said Ranma firmly. "But I'm not turning the property into a shopping mall. That was never a part of my plans!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

He said no more, although Akane's brain seethed with questions.

"I'll talk to you some other time, when you have had the chance to calm down and think," said Saotome before leaving rather abruptly.

As she could not learn more from him, Akane came back home. The only thing she could do was to talk to her father, although she doubted it availed to much.

"The truth is, Akane, I did not push him very hard," admitted Soun Tendo. "No one else was willing to offer me such a large sum of money and I did not want to risk losing him as a client."

So you did not even ask what would become of a house that has been our family's home for so many centuries?, Akane wondered bitterly. But she said nothing. She did not want to widen the gap that was forming between her father and her.

Which would play right into Hinako's hands, she understood well.

"There will always be a place for you in our new house, you know it," said Soun, somewhat forcedly.

"Darling, Akane will be too busy when she goes back to work," said Hinako sweetly. "Especially if we won't be at the dojo anymore. But I guess we'll have a room ready for her," she added, making it seem like a tremendous sacrifice.

Akane reflected again in Ranma Saotome's words. He had been furious, as if her suppositions angered him. But, why should he care about what she thought? A man like he, rich and succesful, did not have to place any importance on what a model halfway to the top thought of him. Although she did not want to feel any interest about Ranma in a personal way, there was something about him that intrigued her against her will.

She had known many men throughout her life: photographers, journalists, other models, but no one like Ranma Saotome. He belonged in a different category, and she did not know exactly why. But the likeliest reason must be his dynamic personality, the instinct that had enabled him to make a fortune from zero.

And yet he was not lacking in gentleness, as well as in an evident sensitiveness. There was an unfathomable mystery within him, something that made it impossible to scorn him as a simple money-making machine... much as she would have preferred to judge him as such.

The next morning she knew, right from the moment she woke up, that she could not stand the uncertainty any longer. She had to find out what Ranma was planning, even if that meant having to talk to him again.

Slowly she dialed the Neko-hanten's number. It was Cologne who answered, somewhat surprised, when Akane asked about Ranma Saotome. Yes, he was still there.

"Hello?" Ranma's voice sounded dry and formal, like that of a man in a hurry. And now Akane did not know what to say.

"Well... I wanted to... talk to you... if it is not inconvenient for you..."

"Actually it is inconvenient for me," he said curtly. "Could you get to the point, please? I was about to leave, because I have a very important appointment in Tokyo this afternoon and a plane to board tonight."

Was he going back to Kyoto? Akane trembled in panic.

"I can't talk on the phone right now. Please Ranma... just a few minutes."

"So now it is "please, Ranma", huh?" he said, amused. "Last time we met, you were a little less conciliatory, if I remember correctly..."

"I want nothing from you except for information," she snapped, angrily. "If that's asking for too much, then forget it!"

"If you hang up on me right now, that will the last you'll hear from me," remarked Ranma in a warning tone. "So listen: I'll go by the entrance to your property in ten minutes, and I will wait there just five minutes."

Akane stifled a gasp.

"But I'm not ready yet..."

A cruel laugh resounded at the other end of the line.

"You heard me. I will wait just five minutes."

Hating him, Akane hurried back to her room. She only had fifteen minutes to get ready and get to the place where they had agreed to meet, but as a professional model, she was used to get dressed quickly.

When she arrived, Ranma was already there in his red sports car. He opened the car door so she could get inside, and Akane ignored the quick, but complete scrutiny of those blue eyes.

"Good. Very few women can look so attractive at this unholy hour, and without any make-up. Congratulations, although I understand that you are a professional."

"Whatever you may think about my looks is not important. Listen, Mr. Saotome, I don't particularly like you nor what you do for a living. But you are buying my house against my will, and I'd like to know what you're planning to do with the property."

Ranma looked at her with cold speculation in his eyes.

"Even a fool would understant that. What do we have here? An area with wonderful landscapes, a rather quaint old house, placed among several acres of beautiful gardens, and a dojo with a long history. I don't know what does that suggest to you, Miss Tendo, but for me it is the ideal place for a very exclusive country hotel."

Akane did not even bother to stifle the exclamation that sprung from her lips:

"The Tendo dojo a hotel!"

"What's wrong?" said Ranma, with a slight smile. "I thought you would like the idea."

"I'm only interested in preserving what many generations have bequeathed us."

"Then you should consider me to be a savior, Akane. In selling it to me, you'll save the Tendo dojo from some ignorant barbarian who would tear it down to build something else."

His smile was wolfish and predatory, and the implicit mockery dancing in his intelligent eyes was unmistakable.

"An ignorant barbarian..."Akane repeated obfuscatedly, closing her fists. "That's exactly what you are!"

Ranma caught her wrists in an iron fist. His eyes were hard, his smile had vanished, and his stare was fixed in her intensely, and Akane once more felt that emotion that no man had awakened in her before. A primeval, irrational terror, that filled her with an involuntary excitement.

"I don't give a damn about what you think of me personally, but there's no need for you to insult me," he raged.

He reached with his free hand as if to open the door and throw her out of the car, but suddenly he seemed to change his mind. Instead his hand alighted on Akane's neck close to the back of her head. Akane shuddered, but she did not struggle to be set free. She did not resist either when Ranma's mouth took hers violently, forcing it to open, not in seduction, but in invasion. At that moment Akane could not think at all, a passionate exaltation bedimmed her powers of reason. When Ranma moved aside, brusquely, she gasped, searching for air.

He then opened the door.

"Get out," he ordered. "And consider yourself lucky that for me business is business, and that personal antipathy has nothing to do with it."

He left her there standing by the road, stepped on the gas pedal and got lost in a cloud of dust. Akane put her arms around herself, as if to control her shaking. That kiss of Ranma's had been almost an assault, and she had not protested. She wiped her lips with her hand and headed to the dojo, as if only physical exercise could cleanse her from her complicity on what had happened.

In coming into the part of the house where the family lived, she came across a man who traversed the hall with a clipboard, scribbling quickly on it.

Akane looked at him curiously and he greeted her:

"Good morning, miss. I am appraising the furniture."

"Ah," was all that she said, before turning around and heading to the living room, where her stepmother was arranging some flowers in a vase.

"There's a man who says he is appraising the furniture _._ " There was a latent accusation in Akane's voice, even though she endeavoured to keep calm.

"Then that's what he must be doing, darling," said Hinako, subtly ironic. "Be reasonable, Akane. Wherever your father and I decide to live, modern houses are not designed for old furniture, so we will have to sell most of it."

"And didn't you think about asking me whether I wanted some of those pieces of furniture?"

"Darling, in that tiny apartment of yours, where would you fit them?"

"I won't always live in a tiny apartment; I earn a lot of money," remarked Akane. "Perhaps I can afford something better, now that I won't have to defray your costly tastes."

Hinako opened her crimson mouth in an aggrieved "O"; it was the first time that Akane openly complained about the expenses she had had to cover since her father's remarriage.

"Insolente brat!" gasped Hinako, her face contracting in fury.

"Call me whatever you want, but I want the furniture that used to belong to my mother."

Hinako's peal of laughter was high-pitched and irritating.

"You'll take nothing! So don't even dream about it!"

"I've put up with you for too long, Hinako," said Akane, calmly. "I have tried to get along with you. I left home because of you, not because I wanted to. And now you have convinced my father that he has no other choice but to sell everything. Well, I've had enough!"

When she reached her room, her heart pounded violently. She slammed the door shut, leant on the wall and closed her eyes. She had never felt so alone and helpless. And suddenly Ranma's voice echoed in her mind, loud and clear: "We have to accept whatever life offers us and take the best possible advantage."

But, how?

The furniture issue only illustrated Soun Tendo's capacity to do whatever it took to keep his wife happy. But some of the furniture had belonged to Soun's first wife, and her daughter Akane's right to claim it was undeniable.

So Soun deferred the decision, placating both women with half promises that satisfied neither. The atmosphere in the dojo became tense and Akane found it harder to bear than before.

She was tempted to leave for Tokyo. But then she remembered that those few weeks previous to the sale would be the last she would spend in her beloved house, and refused to be made to leave before she had to.

She solved her problem by staying alone most of the time, training in the dojo, a little bit more every day, as the doctor had advised her, and spending long times in the garden, whenever the weather allowed her to do so.

"What's the use when all this will disappear soon?" Hinako baited her one day.

"Ranma will not tear the house down," Akane answered without looking at her stepmother. "He will turn it into a country hotel."

Hinako's face contracted on account of her conflicting emotions; she was annoyed she had not heard about it before, but she was also eaten up by curiosity.

"Did he tell you that?" she asked. "And all of a sudden you call him Ranma, huh?"

Akane did not bother to deny her stepmother's insinuations. Let her believe whatever she wanted, she did not give a damn. When she looked up again, she saw she was once more alone in the garden, which pleased her immensely

About a week after Ranma's departure, Akane's father and Hinako left for Osaka early in the morning. Akane knew they intended to see a property for sale there. Hinako had made sure that she knew about it, even though Soun had not said anything openly. Anyway, it was a blessing to have the house to herself for a whole day.

She wandered through the house, looking at her mother's kimono collection in the ancestral display case, went room by room, safe in the knowledge that she would not find Hinako in any of them. What I'm actually doing is saying goodbye to each and every room, she told herself sadly.

In an attempt to dispel her melancholy, she brought her shamisen out and started to play it absently.

She only saw Ranma Saotome when she looked up from the instrument. He was standing at the doorstep, watching her, and the mixed quality of the emotions she felt in seeing him dismayed Akane.

Surprise, indeed, and the vivid memory of the circumstances in which they had parted.

"How did you get in?" she asked him warily.

"Your housekeeper let me in. But, please... don't stop playing." Ranma crossed the room in a few strides.

Nothing in this world would ellicit one more note from Akane, not while he was watching her like that.

"I'm afraid I'm out of practice," she pushed the instrument aside decisively. "I thought you were in Kyoto. Since you said you... you had to board a plane..."

"There are planes bound for other places. I went to Bangkok, Seoul and Beijing, looking for appropriate places. Fortunately all of them were."

To say she was glad of that would have shown a generosity she was not able to feel, so she just nodded wordlessly. Ranma went on, caring not for her apparent lack of enthusiasm:

"I took the chance to find you here alone, since your father and stepmother are out."

"How did you know?" asked Akane suspiciously, and Ranma sketched his wolfish smile.

"Through Cologne, at the Neko-hanten. But don't worry. I know we parted at an interesting time, but I don't intend to resume the issue," he said. "Actually, I want to ask you for a little favor."

"Ask _me_? For a favor? Give me one good reason why I should do anything for you."

"Because I'm saving the Tendo dojo from a fate worse than death." he said lightly. Akane laughed mirthlessly.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Curiosity proved to be stronger than she was.

"I'd like you to organize a small party in my honor. I'm sure you know everybody around here and that you would be a wonderful hostess."

Akane leapt to her feet, agitated. That really was effrontery and audacity!

"Do you want me to be your hostess? That's really funny! What I don't understand is why you didn't ask Hinako. I'm sure she would love to do it."

Ranma looked at her shrewdly.

"I don't doubt it; she would _more_ than love to do it," he agreed. "And that's the second good reason why you would do it. Don't you think so, Akane?"

She could only stare at him, knowing that he had her there. Because what he was planning was a farewell to everything that she loved. And Akane would rather commit seppuku than allow Hinako to preside over that event.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Hinako sulked for a while when she learned about the task Ranma had entrusted to Akane.

"This is not to be borne!" she exclaimed. "I am the mistress of this house and if there's any celebration, I am the one who should organize it!"

Akane just smiled. But after Ranma himself talked to her on the phone one day, Hinako seemed a little mollified.

"Ranma considers that to engage Akane in this way will help her to come to terms with the idea of the sale," Akane heard her stepmother tell Soun later.

If that's what he thinks, he's very wrong, thought Akane indignantly. But the truth was much more complex than that.

"The secret of a good administration consists in choosing the right person for every task," Ranma told her with an ironic smile. "The way I see it, this job was yours. You've lived here all your life, you've known everybody from childhood..."

"That's not the version you gave Hinako," and an spontaneous laugh escaped from Akane's lips.

"There would have been no use in offending her needlessly," he replied, looking her approvingly. "You look very different when you laugh; I mean when you really laugh, not when you sketch that smile you reservefor magazine covers _,_ " he commented, and then, in a more intense tone of voice, he continued: "Your dinner party will be a success, and you will smile and show yourself charming, even though you may be hating every minute of it. So start drafting the guest list, Akane."

Up to that moment everything went fine. She had asked Ranma whether he wanted to bring somebody to the celebration, and he had bestowed his languid, ambiguous smile on her.

"Of course not. You will be my partner. So don't invite any boyfriend."

Akane, who had a constant coterie of admirers who asked her out, had not found among them any she could call her boyfriend. She was too busy, too few times in the same place. But she was unwilling to disclose that to Ranma, certainly.

"I consider this gathering as business, and I don't mix business with pleasure," she said coldly. And Ranma had treated her again to his enigmatic smile.

So she went back to her list. She invited Dr. Tofu, who accepted with pleasure; Happosai, an expert martial arts teacher who had trained her father; Tatewaki Kuno, the most prosperous and influential businessman in the area, accompanied by his sister. Soun was delighted seeing his daughter so absorbed in the preparations.

"I'm glad you don't consider Saotome as terrible as you did at the beginning," he commented with satisfaction.

"I prefer to withhold my opinionabout that fellow," she replied. "But, having accepted to organize the gathering, it is my duty to make sure everything turns out as well as it is possible."

"And I'm sure it will be so," her father said with a half smile. "You remind me of your mother, Akane-chan..."

It had been a long while since the last time Soun mentioned his late wife, and Akane felt an absurd satisfaction in knowing that she had not been entirely forgotten.

The day of the dinner party dawned sunny and bright, to Akane's great relief. The flowers arrived, and she arranged them artistically. Hinako had visited the beauty shop that afternoon, and she returned looking bedazzling. She had also bought a new dress in a luxurious boutique.

Akane brushed carefully her short blue hair, and accented her features deftly with a skillful use of make-up. Her dress was of the antique Chinese fashion, made of scarlet silk. It covered her entire body, except that when she moved, an opening to the side revealed her silken legs.

Soun and Ranma were already in the foyer, sharing a drink, when she came down. It was the first time Akane saw Ranma in formal attire, and it left her breathless. Nothing could disguise those broad shoulders or his height, although the adventurer had turned into a splendid aristocrat. They looked into each other's eyes, in which there was a glow of admiration and mutual, although veiled, hostility. Here we are, that look said, you look stunning, but so do I _._

Akane made herself inhale deeply, to recover her serenity.

"Well, well," Ranma commented in a low voice. "I don't know what's more enticing, what can be seen or what's left to imagination."

Ranma's gaze traversed slowly over her half-covered leg and ascended to the soft curve of her breasts, underneath the red silk.

Akane did not avert her eyes. Under that man's gaze, she felt the beginning of a growing excitement, a secret exultation in her own beauty and power stirring within her. It was just as if the dress, having called his attention, had disintegrated, as if his blue eyes were exploring her nakedness freely... and she found pleasure in his admiration, enjoyed it without embarrasment.

"Ranma, I have done my best to make this evening a success," she remarked coolly at last. "I don't understand what is it that you want to achieve, trying to embarrass me."

"Embarrass you?" Ranma emitted a soft, but ironic laugh. "I just wanted to give you a compliment. One for which you were no doubt prepared. You're not precisely dressed to be a wallflower."

Ranma left things there. It was a relief to see the first guests arriving in that moment.

After that, she was too busy to monopolize Ranma's attention, and he was too busy to bestow it on her. Now she watched, with reluctant admiration, how the powerful commercial machine that was Ranma Saotome went effortlessly into action.

Everybody there that night knew the Tendos from long ago. It must have been with a certain amount of dismay that they learned that Soun found himself compelled to sell, and there was a hidden current of suspicion, even resentment, toward the man who would occupy the well-liked Soun Tendo's place. No doubt they had all heard rumors about him; that he was a hard man, who knew the path to wealth and power.

And he is that, Akane thought. But that was not the way Ranma showed himself that night. He had taken the trouble to find out something about each one of the guests. Akane heard him talking to Dr. Tofu about shiatsu techniques. With Happosai, he discussed the differences between the Hiryu Shoten Ha and the Hiryu Korin Dan, and with Tatewaki Kuno, he shared secrets of modern business administation.

When Akane approached him, Ranma was chatting with Tatewaki's sister, a beautiful, intelligent woman.

"My, my... even Kodachi is enthralled by him," Hinako whispered maliciously into her stepdaughter's ear. "Although she has not the least chance to catch Ranma."

"Kodachi is very attractive. The fact that she is single does not mean that nobody has proposed to her," said Akane. "Perhaps she prefers it that way."

"Nonsense, darling," said Hinako in her honeyed voice. "Every woman needs a man. Even you. I'm sure you would not resist his advances if our hero made eyes at you. Or perhaps, has he done so already?"

Akane kept smiling.

"Don't be vulgar, Hinako," she said. The dinner was about to be served, and that gave her a good excuse to escape her stepmother. Hinako's insinuations reminded her, too clearly, of the emotions that had disturbed her before, as well as of the fact that she refused to admit she found Ranma handsome.

The dinner in itself was a success, and the compliments flowed freely around the table. The service was discreet and efficient, and nothing went wrong. Akane allowed herself a slight sigh of satisfaction, when everybody was savoring the dessert.

"Delicious dinner, Soun," comented Tatewaki Kuno.

"A real treat," Ranma coincided without hesitation. "However, we must not forget that the genius who organized the party is Akane."

He raised his glass, looking into her eyes, but the length of the table separated them, and she could not decipher the expresion in his eyes.

Everybody was drinking sake and liquors, when Ranma raised a hand asking for silence. All eyes were fixed on him.

"I asked Akane to organize this little gathering tonight, to get to know all of you and to dispel a few of the misgivings you must harbor toward me."

There was a murmur of protests, since nobody wanted to admit the distrust they had felt about a man they all now found so charming and friendly. But he shook his head.

"It would have been illogical had you not had any doubts. You don't know me, and I'm sure you have heard all kinds of rumors about me."

Akane stiffened at his words. She could not help feeling guilty, since she, more than anyone, had condemned him without giving him the chance to defend himself.

Ranma looked at every one in attendance and, aiming his languid smile toward everybody, he said:

"I know all of you will miss the Tendo family, and there is no way a newcomer can take their place. But if you accept me, I will do my best to be a good neighbor."

An air of surprise hung over the table. It was Dr. Tofu who asked:

"Mr. Saotome, correct me if I jumped to a wrong conclusion: should we understand that you plan to live here, in the Tendo dojo?"

"That's right," said Ranma cheerfully, drinking what was left of his _sake._

"But, Ranma," Hinako intervened, "I thought you would turn the dojo into a hotel. That's what Akane told me."

All eyes turned toward her now, and Akane vibrated in anger.

"You go too fast for me to catch up with you, Ranma," she said with false sweetness, smiling with her mouth but not with her eyes. "First, we were going to have a shopping mall, then a hotel, now you will live in the property. Are you normally that indecisive?"

Ranma fixed his gaze on her across the table.

"I am never indecisive," he said firmly." The Tendo dojo was never supposed to be a mall, as I explained before. I certainly thought about turning it into a hotel, but that was before my trip to Southeast Asia. When I became aware of how committed I am going to be around this area during the next few years, I realized I needed a home. I can't always live in hotels."

Akane was so stunned about what was developing that she almost didn't realize that the coffee was ready to be served in the living room. With trembling legs, she rose to her feet and led her guests, still astonished about the news, out of the dining room.

And then, under the pretext of having to dismiss the service personnel, Akane fled the room. She was suddenly struck by the full impact of the fact that Ranma Saotome would live there, in her beloved house, within a few weeks. The Tendo dojo would be his!

Feeling exhausted, she leant her head against the wall. Ranma would not tear the house down, nor turn it into a hotel. He would make it his home, and nevertheless Akane was not happy. Because anything he planned meant that she would have to leave and never come back. The tears flooded her eyes and ran down her cheeks, and she had to find shelter in the guest restroom in order to fix her make-up. Nobody must see her like that... above all, not he!

As soon as she recovered her poise, she knew she had to go back to her guests, but she did not feel strong enough to do so right now, so she slipped outside, to the peaceful haven of the garden.

A slight breeze stirred the cherry trees' boughs, enveloping her in a cloud of perfume. The bright moonlight made the walls look pearly, and was also reflected in the immaculate shirt on the man who walked toward her, and once again Akane was amazed at his regal bearing.

"What do you want, Ranma?" she asked.

"To take you back inside. You are the hostess, and in a sense, I am the host, so people will find it strange that we two are sulking out here in the garden."

Akane shook her head.

"Leave me alone, Ranma. I've had enough for tonight. Give me a break."

"You don't like the idea of my living here, do you? I would even keep the dojo functioning if that would make you happy!" he looked at her severily. "But you won't be happy, will you?"

"You had already made up your mind, hadn't you? You used me to prepare the ground, to make things easier for you..."

Ranma shrugged.

"I wanted to see how would you cope with the situation.".

"Really? How would you grade me? Do I deserve at least a D?"

"Oh, much better than that," he said softly. "You were a perfect hostess, Akane. Actually, together we were a first class team."

She turned away and said sharply:

"A team? Go away, Ranma... I hate you, and at this moment..." there was a break in her voice and she shuddered containing her tears, "I hate the whole world!"

Ranma's strong hand grasped her chin, making her turn around to face him.

"No, that is not true, Akane," he said firmly. "You think it is the end of the world and that you will have to leave, but it does not have to be like that."

More bewildered than before, she stared at him.

"I don't understand.".

"You will," he promised softly. "Smile and come back inside. You are upset and exhausted, and I won't push you anymore tonight. Have lunch with me tomorrow and I will explain, all right?"

His unexpected tenderness made her feel uneasy and bemused, but before she could react, Ranma took her hand to lead her back into the house.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Ranma was right, when he said that Akane could not take it anymore that night. Once the guests left, she collapsed in bed and knew no more until the next day.

But on awakening, her first thought was that she had agreed to have lunch with Ranma, and her senses became alert at once. A way she would not have to leave the Tendo dojo? Whatever could he mean?

"Could you please tell me where are we going?" she asked when Ranma started the car.

"Who asks no questions gets no lies," he replied mysteriously. To her surprise, he took her to a secluded corner in Nerima's public park.

"I love to eat in the open air," Ranma said. "And we should avail ourselves of the warm weather whenever possible."

Akane suddenly felt absurdly lighthearted and cheerful, and she resolutely set the purpose of the invitation aside, to focus on enjoying the picnic. The sky was blue and clear, the sun shone brightly, and Ranma sketched a boyish smile that made him look unexpectedly younger, and Akane let him know of it.

"My family calls me Ranma-kun," he answered softly.

"Ranma-kun; I like it", said Akane.

Everything tasted delicious eaten outdoors, with the river flowing lazily a few yards away and the birds chirping and flitting in the trees. Later they stretched out beside each other, for the first time in peace and cordiality.

"Don't you have any business to arrange today?" Akane asked playfully. "Any property to acquire? Is it possible that the great Saotome can afford a moment of idleness?"

"Actually I'm undertaking an arduous task in this moment, in which to take the wrong turn could be disastrous."

Akane sat up, and all lightheartedness and good humor abandoned her. Of course, Ranma had not taken her there just for fun, she should have remembered. He was up to something, as always, and it concerned her.

"Akane, has it ever occurred to you that a model's career is limited to a few years of youth? Have you given any thought to what will you do for the rest of your life?"

"Sometimes," she admitted hesitantly. "But I haven't reached the top yet. I'm sure I still have a few years left, before I start worrying about crow's feet."

"Of course. And by then, I guess somebody will have married you, right?"

"To be honest, I have never considered marriage as an alternative career," she said. "It could happen, but it also could _not_ happen. What I mean is, at the moment, there is no one I could consider a potential candidate."

"Mmm," Ranma watched her thoughtfully "You know? Last night I meant it, when I said I planned to make the Tendo dojo my home."

Akane looked at him, warily. Ranma was silent for a while before he went on.

"It seems to me that business is conducted in a different way here. The social aspect is important and should not be overlooked"

"Then you need a house where you can invite your partners for the weekend, to organize parties and such," Akane said somewhat scornfully. "Well, I think the Tendo dojo will do very well for that purpose. It has almost everything."

" _Almost_ everything," Ranma repeated meaningfully. "You have hit the nail on the head, Akane. A man in my position needs a hostess... somebody to lend grace to the scenery. Last night you showed very well how you played that role. Charming, beautiful, well-bred, efficient... all the appropriate qualities."

Akane stared at him open-mouthed.

"So that was it," she made herself answer at last. "You're offering me a job, a mixture of housekeeper and social secretary, in my own house, as an employee." She paused to catch her breath. "Well, let me tell you something, Ranma Saotome: you'll never be able to pay me enough money for that!"

Her eyes looked darkened and enormous, in a face pale with fury, and Akane could feel her body shaking uncontrollably. How dare that man disparage her like that! And he even had the gall to look unconcerned, watching her with a careless smile on his lips.

"I did not intend to pay you, Akane; not directly, at least, although you would certainly become a very rich lady. I've never done this before, so don't blame me if I'm being awkward, but what I'm trying to do is ask you to consider the possibility of being my wife."

Akane stared at him, stiff with incredulity. It was not possible... this had to be a stupid, tasteless joke! But Ranma was not laughing, his expression was totally serious and serene.

"You're crazy!" she exclaimed. "Why should I marry you? And why should you want to marry me?"

Ranma shrugged.

"The equation is obvious. As my wife, you would keep the Tendo dojo. As for me, I've already told you, you are very adequate. And it suits me to have a wife."

Akane kept staring at him, as if he had lost his mind.

"But, Ranma," she protested. "This idea is absurd and ridiculous! You don't love me."

"And you don't love me either. It is the ideal situation," Ranma said mildly. "Don't you see, Akane? I am rich, but I'm also a stranger, come from who knows where. Can I be trusted? Of course I can, if I have a beautiful, well-bred, high-born wife. It is the perfect solution."

"Ranma, this is absurd. Your proposal is very attractive, I admit, but it wouldn't seem right to accept, under those conditions."

"What is right and what is wrong?" Ranma inquired. "In times past, our ancestors married for financial or dynastic reasons, or simply because their parents said so. Love had little or nothing to do with it, and it is likely it was better that way. I do not want nor need any sentimental commitment. Do you?"

Akane had a sudden, terrifying vision of what it would be like to fall in love with this dangerous, unpredictable adventurer, to be emotionally at his mercy.

"No!" she said vehemently.

"There you have it." There was a short silence, and then Ranma added: "Don't say anything for now. I'm leaving for Tokyo tomorrow, and I won't be back until next Thursday. I won't call you on the phone, but when I come back I want to have your answer."

On Monday, Akane was sure that the answer would be an unambiguous No. She could not marry a man for reasons other than love, and certainly not someone she disliked. Even if he were interesting and handsome.

Then, on Tuesday afternoon, her father and Hinako came back from another visit to Osaka, and they announced that they had agreed to buy a property there, and that they had already begun the purchase procedure.

"But that will take a long time, won't it?" Akane asked nervously.

"Not at all, the contracts have been signed already and they are ready to be legalized" Soun said enthusiastically. "Ranma wants to take possession of the dojo around the middle of July and I agree with that."

That was a little under a month! The terrifying imminence of the sale overwhelmed Akane. It was a crushing anguish, greater than the one she felt at eighteen, when she had had to leave and seek her own destiny.

It doesn't have to be that way, a tempting little voice told her. You don't have to leave, not now, not ever. You can stay here and become Mrs. Saotome. All right, you don't love him. But you are not in love with anybody else, and who knows if you could learn to love him someday. Think of it as a job for which you are well prepared.

But the wife of someone like Ranma Saotome... a different part of her protested, and the little voice replied: Why not? Let's see, what is it exactly what he wants? Somebody to organize parties and weekends, to be courteous with his business partners. No problem. Somebody to appear at his side, to look pretty and smile graciously; you have been doing this for several years and have a lot of experience. He will be away for long periods, and when he's home, he'll devote more time to his empire-building that to you. Many women would sell their soul to the devil for a rich, dynamic, handsome husband like he!

Akane thought that if she married Ranma, she would be selling not only her soul, but her whole being, to a buyer who was tempting her with the only thing she yearned to possess and which she could not obtain in any other way. And it would not be an easy option. She could not marry Ranma Saotome without belonging to him, without being overwhelmed by his disturbing presence.

Feeling restless, confused, she wandered through the estate, struggling with herself and losing, little by little, the will to reject that strange proposal. Ranma was offering her all that for... for what? She herself, her presence and her services.

It seemed so little, and yet she knew instinctively that it was not so. Marriage could never be only that, and even if he married her without love, Akane was sure that Ranma would take the contract very seriously... just as she would. It was for such a long time, it involved so much.

She shivered because of the breeze coming from the mountains, cold even in that warm June day, and she turned back slowly. She could not marry Ranma.

When she reached the main entrance of the house, she saw the auctioneers' truck outside. Men in overalls were bringing out the furniture she had grown up with... all the antiques, even those Akane had reserved for herself... her mother's things...

Horrified, she ran into the house. She found her father in his office, and when his guilty look met her eyes, something broke between them instantly. Akane felt very lonely. Now she had nothing, no one to call her own.

"So you sold everything," she said inexpressively. "You didn't let me keep anything, not even my mother's things."

Her father grimaced dejectedly.

"I had to. We need the money," he said. "Somebody, I have no idea who is it, has already bought everything. My hands are tied, Akane. Try to understand."

She turned around wordlessly and ran to her room. She felt so weak and desperate. Soon she would not have a real home. Hinako had made it clear that she would not be welcomed in their house, and actually, her stepmother was the last person she wanted to be around.

It was a night Akane would never forget. She did not sleep; she kept looking out the window, until the first glimmers of the dawn lightened the sky.

There was only one person who could offer her any solution to her dilemma. Married to Ranma, she would never lack a home and would always be taken care of and protected. The arrogance she feared so much in him could also mean strength; a strength she needed so much. There was nobody else left for her to go to.

At last she got up, dressed carefully and disguised the efects of a sleepless night with a skillful use of make-up.

"See you on Thursday at the Neko-hanten," those had been Ranma's directions. Akane parked her small vehicle next to the shining sports car that signaled Ranma Saotome's presence.

There was still time to go back, get in her car and get away, she would find a way to survive.

But now that she had reached that point, a force stronger than her will impelled her to accept Ranma's challenge.

Straightening her shoulders, with a forced smile on her lips, Akane marched resolutely through the Neko-hanten's door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Then, what you are saying, even if you are beating so much around the bush, is that the answer is Yes?" said Ranma Saotome with an amused smile.

Akane swallowed, thinking she must be crazy. Marry that man? Tie herself to him for the rest of her life?

"Well, yes. But before signing any contract, it is usual to stipulate the conditions," she murmured. "There are things I want to know. For example, would I have to leave my career altogether?"

"As a rule, I have nothing against working wives, especially when it is essencial for making ends meet," he said. "But that would not be the case with us. And the main reason for this agreement is for you to be at hand anytime I need you, not in the Caribbean or any other place. And sometimes I will need you to travel with me."

He paused briefly.

"I have never been under the impression that your career is very important for you," Ranma observed. "At least, not compared to your interest in the dojo. Am I wrong?"

"No," admitted Akane reluctantly, and a little annoyed at his shrewdness. "You could say that my incursion in modeling was accidental, and I never thought I would be so succesful. I've enjoyed it, for sure, but I only left home to escape Hinako."

Ranma's smile was slight but pleased.

"In that case, I won't be depriving you of something essential," he said. "What else worries you? I'm sure that's not all."

Akane did not know how to answer his disturbing question. She dropped her eyes before his.

"There's something else, but I don't know how to express it," she stammered, and Ranma interrupted her with a sudden peal of laughter.

"Usually, the best way to do it is directly."

Akane inhaled deeply and swallowed again.

"This... marriage... would it be in name only? Or is it your idea to consummate it?"

To her annoyance, Ranma laughed again.

"Do you mean, will we make love?" he inquired, and now it seemed to Akane that the corner where they were seated, the whole room, actually, was full of his presence. She watched his long legs, outstretched before him, his broad shoulders, his strong, supple body, and she shuddered. To share his bed, to be possessed by that magnificent body, to be caressed by those hands...

What she felt was not precisely repugnance. Far from it. It was curiosity, excitement, and an exquisite fear. She nodded wordlessly and averted her eyes, blushing.

"Well, then," Ranma said, after a perturbing pause. "It seems pointless, to have a beautiful wife and sleep alone, don't you think?"

Akane could not escape that searching gaze pursuing her.

"I'm not going to push you, Akane. We will start this relationship from zero. Why don't we let things develop in a natural way?"

Her distressed brown eyes locked with the blue depths of Ranma's gaze. It was not the answer Akane had expected.

"I guess you're right. The truth is I am in no hurry. After all, we hardly know each other," she said.

"You know what I want, and I know what you expect to obtain from our agreement," Ranma remarked, somewhat drily. "That is the basis for a good deal, in my opinion. If the conditions are clear enough, can we consider ourselves engaged?"

"I guess so," murmured Akane.

Ranma grinned broadly. Standing up, he waved to Cologne, who was standing behind the bar.

"Cologne, open some bottles of your best champagne and serve a drink to everyone here. Akane and I have just become engaged."

Amidst the happy hubbub of congratulations and expressions of amazement that followed that announcement, Akane remained as if stuck to her seat until Ranma took her hand, urged her softly to stand up and tightened his arm around her waist.

"Our reasons for marriage are ours alone," he whispered in her ear. "To everyone else, this must be an engagement born out of love. So smile, as if you were happy. And look into my eyes."

She was so astonished, that was not able to resist when Ranma leant forward and kissed her lips. Akane clung to that man she barely knew, and felt like a fraud. She felt greatly relieved when they were able to escape to the parking lot.

"Will we have to keep that pretense during the whole engagement?" Akane wanted to know. "I agreed to marry you, Ranma, but I'm not an actress. I can not guarantee an Oscar-worthy performance of a woman in love!"

Ranma shrugged.

"Suit yourself. Do you want everybody to believe that you are a gold digger going after my money?" he challenged her. "I'll tell you what: I'll make things easier for you. We'll get married soon. No later than the middle of July."

Akane gasped.

"Ranma! That's under a month!"

"The sooner, the better," he said mildly. "We'll go somewhere for a few weeks... how about Thailand? And when we're back, everything will be ready at the dojo for us to settle down."

Ranma opened the car door and helped her in.

"Leave your car here, I'll send for it later," Ranma said. "I'd better take you home, to let your people know our news."

Soun Tendo was delighted with the idea of his daughter's marrying Ranma Saotome. Now he could leave without any remorse, Hinako would have enough money to satisfy her thirst for luxury, and Soun's conscience was soothed regarding his daughter. She would not only be the mistress of this house that meant so much to her, but besides she had caught a rich husband!

"You two have not wasted any time," Hinako commented, meaningfully.

"When I see something worth my while,I grasp it at once," Ranma answered, taking Akane's icy hand in his. She found the warm clasp curiously comforting, and she instinctively closed her fingers around Ranma's hand.

"How sweet!" remarked Hinako, with honeyed irony. "When do you plan to get married? I think that six months would be nice. That would give us enough time to organize the wedding properly, don't you think?"

"We think we'll set it around the middle of next month," Ranma said calmly, and Hinako raised a hand to her mouth.

"So soon? That's impossible!"

Akane came back to life.

"Don't fret, Hinako. We do not want something extraordinary. Ranma and I can get married easily, at the city hall."

But before Hinako could comment anything, Ranma intervened.

"Not at all, my darling," he said affectionately, and clasped her hand tighter. "One does not get married every day of the week, and I want to do it properly, with a big party, the Western way, with you dressed in white, I in a tuxedo. Flowers, music, photographer... the whole shebang. And yes, everything can be organized in time, if one has enough money."

"But, Ranma..." Akane started to protest, but could say no more.

"Please excuse us," he remarked.

Then he helped her to her feet, and without stopping to listen anything she was trying to say, he led her to the garden.

"I want us to be clear about this," he said once they were there. His tone was pleasant, but his expression was firm. "If we are going to be married, we'll do it properly, otherwise we can forget about the whole thing. So if you do not agree with that, we'd better forget our bargain here and now."

Akane pursed her lips.

"The thing is I had not thought about having a big wedding."

"It's just a day, Akane. It'll likely be the only wedding you'll have in your life. Are you willing to do whatever it's needed to make this work?"

He was daring her, and Akane knew how to face a challenge.

"Anything you can do, Ranma, I can do too," she said decisively.

Akane felt a little less sure of herself a couple days later, when she took a local newspaper and found her picture on the front cover.

" _Love at first sight,_ " the headline blared.

" _The famous entrepreneur, Ranma Saotome, thought he had found the perfect home when he made an offer to purchase the fifteenth century estate known as the Tendo dojo, currently owned by Mr. Soun Tendo._

 _But what he had not foreseen was that he would be bedazzled by Mr. Tendo's beautiful daughter, Akane, a very well-known fashion model. When asked whether it had been love at first sight, Ranma Saotome said: I know what is worth my while as soon as I see it."_

But the article only amused Ranma.

"What is the problem, Akane? I thought all women liked romance. "

"But this story is about me," she remarked acrimoniously. "And it is not true. Ranma, when I accepted to marry you, I did not agree to share in a farce just to get publicity"

"I have to make some profit out of all this," Ranma pointed, somewhat coldly. "You got the Tendo dojo. And you also got that," he pointed at the diamond ring that Akane wore and that had left her breathless the first time he slipped it on her finger.

"Ranma, I can not accept something so expensive!" she had protested.

"Nothing but the best for my future wife," Ranma had smiled, and Akane soon found out that he meant it literally. He had not only granted her _carte blanche,_ but had urged her to spend extravagantly on her bridal _trousseau_. No penny pinching, he had said firmly, any skimpiness would be noticed, and he didn't want to be considered stingy. Nevertheless, Akane felt uncomfortable spending so much money she could not consider to be hers yet.

Now she said in a tense voice:

"I don't care about your money, Ranma. I would have been satisfied living in the dojo in the way I was used to."

"I know," he said. "But that won't be possible, not if you are my wife. Your lifestyle has to change. It is always necessary to sacrifice something for what one wants."

"I'd like to know what _you_ are sacrificing," Akane murmured, and Ranma shot an ironic look at her.

"You would be amazed," was all he answered her.

The day of the wedding was set. Akane gasped when she saw the guest list.

"Ranma, who are all these people?"

"Well... friends, business associates, family. Make all the hotel reservations you can. How about the bridesmaids? Do you have any friends or relatives who would want to be one?"

"I could invite my roommate and another friend from Tokyo."

"Fine. And as my best man, I can invite my best friend."

"I didn't even know you had a best friend."

"I do. Ryoga... Ryoga Hibiki. He is almost my brother, and he also works for me. You'll like him. I also have many relatives in Kyoto who will want to come."

A week before the wedding, Ranma left again for Southeast Asia, telling her that he may not be back before the wedding day, but that he trusted she would finalize all the arrangements satisfactorily.

Akane had no misgivings about that. What perturbed her was the lengthy absence of her fiancé, in the last days before the wedding, and she discovered, to her own surprise, that she would have preferred to see him during those few days previous to the moment she would become Mrs. Saotome.

This wedding is nothing but a commercial deal, Akane reminded herself. Why should Ranma neglect other business transactions, to stay near a woman he did not love?

Why did she, then, feel so lost and needy of her fiancé's presence?

Akane felt even more depressed when Ranma called her from Malasia, to confirm that it would indeed be impossible for him to come back before the day of the wedding.

"There are still several issues that I have to resolve and that require my full attention," he explained. His fiancée's silence must have told him something, and he added, half jokingly: "You miss me, don't you?"

"That's rubbish!" she denied, hurriedly.

Ranma laughed lightly, and then his voice changed, becoming harsher and deeper.

"I'll compensate you for my absence, don't worry about it."

Akane hung up, jolted by an uncontrollable emotion she could not define. Ranma was several hundreds of miles away, the phone conection was broken, but she could still hear the potent promise implicit in his voice.

Turning around, she met her stepmother's shrewd eyes.

"That was your sweetheart, wasn't it?" Hinako inquired. "Or maybe that's not the right way to describe him. For you're not in love with him... are you?

"I don't understand why you say that, Hinako," Akane challenged her. "You herself have said that he is a very handsome and charismatic man."

"And he also has a lot of money!" Hinako laughed maliciously. "You're so clever! You get the Tendo dojo and a rich husband. But everything has its price, you know? And with a man like Ranma, I imagine the payments will have to be made in bed."

Hinako's laughter echoed behind her when she left the room, and Akane felt a sudden apprehension. Ranma had said he would not pressure her, and since their engagement, the only physical contact between them had been some handshakes and a few light kisses on her cheek. But that would change once they were married. They would be together all the time during the honeymoon. How long would he be satisfied with that situation?

Akane felt at once fearful and attracted to her fiancé's powerful masculinity, and Hinako's remarks had reawakened her restlessness. Somebody like Ranma must have had ample experience with women.

Akane was tense and worried the rest of the week, and on the night before the wedding, when Ranma called her from the Neko-hanten to let her know he was back, suddenly she felt anxious to see him, to look into his eyes and convince herself that everything was well.

"I'm glad you're back," she said, endeavouring to sound contented. "Do you want to come and have a drink with me?"

"Akane, for the groom to see the bride before the wedding is supposed to be bad luck," Ranma answered. "We'd better not tempt fate."

"But, Ranma...those are superstitions!"

Ranma laughed, but he was adamant.

"I know I am irresistible, but try to control your impatience a few more hours."

Akane did not know whether to laugh or get cross at his joke.

"See you tomorrow," added Ranma, and he hung up.

And Akane had no other choice than to endure alone the torment of expectation.

The big day's dawn was cool and bright. Akane looked out the window at the enormous canopy covering the garden and the tables soon to be overflowing with food. She breathed deeply. This was her wedding day; her heart fluttered in her chest and her pulse raced at the idea.

Soon it was time to get dressed and ready, with her bridesmaids' help: Sayuri, the friend she had stayed with, the first time she left home for Tokyo, and Yuka, her current roommate.

"This is like a dream!" commented Sayuri, as she helped Akane into her wedding gown. "But your life has always been like this, hasn't it, Akane? To grow up in an ancestral mansion such as this. Then your life as a model, travels all over the world, and your picture in the best fashion magazines. And now you meet a very wealthy man, and handsome to boot. Some girls have all the luck!"

Akane looked at herself in the mirror, with an ironic expression. Was she really so lucky? The truth was she hardly recognized herself in that dreamy creature in the silk and lace gown. What would Ranma think when he saw her?

Hinako, dressed in brilliant peacock blue, popped her head through the door.

"The cars are already here," she announced.

Akane barely had time to watch the slowly approaching limousines. With scarcely contained tears, she met her father in the hall.

"You look beautiful, Akane-chan," Soun murmured, and offered her his arm. "Time to go. I thank heaven I'm giving you away to a good man."

It seemed as if half Nerima had gathered there to see her, friends from school and from work, and the contingent from Kyoto was also there, all strangers to the young bride.

Her throat felt constricted by emotion as she walked toward her groom. And there was he, his slim, vigorous figure looking magnificent in his tuxedo.

Next to him, Akane barely glimpsed another masculine shape, formally attired, but with a yellow bandanna in his hair, looking at her with eyes full of goodwill. She smiled back at him, and then, her attention was claimed by the man who would soon be her husband. Ranma's hand touched hers, and his eyes smiled at her.

"So you did come, Akane , he murmured. "There's no turning back now!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

If somebody had told Akane, during that week full of doubts and fears before the wedding, that she would actually enjoy the ceremony, she would have laughed out loud.

But something strange happened the moment she and Ranma joined hands. A sudden wave of confidence and determination invaded her, and she thought: I can do this. I'll become the kind of wife that he wants. Perhaps that was not love, but what she felt would be enough.

She knew herself to be strong, but she also knew Ranma was stronger, and that strength would be on their side. With that support, she could conquer the world if she felt like it.

Akane, with her veil thrown back, went out again, arm in arm with her husband. The camera lights flashed, and she could see that, as Ranma had foreseen, the press had gathered there to cover the event. The ultimate twenty-first century romance: a wealthy businessman married to a beautiful model of worldwide fame.

The first person waiting for them, as they arrived to the reception, was Ryoga, who hugged her without ceremonies.

"Congratulations!" he said warmly. "I only wish Ranma's parents were alive, to see this day. We had all lost hopes to see him married someday!"

After that, everything acquired a dreamlike, hazy quality in Akane's memories. Her husband's hand on hers as they opened the _sake_ barrel. More photographs, champagne and toasts. Her father, on the brink of tears. More pictures, more champagne... it all haunted Akane when she went to her room to change clothes.

Akane was very quiet, as Sayuri and Yuka helped her out of the layers of lace and silk.

"Poor you," joked Yuka, "you have to go to Thailand, with that rich, super handsome husband! Won't you exchange places with me? I go with him, and you go back to the apartment."

Akane just smiled, as she put on a sundress in green tones. Would she turn away from this fate, if by some miracle, she could do so? She was not sure.

But it's not possible, she told herself. You've done it, you're married now. She wished she once more felt that confidence she had felt before and that had sustained her during the day. It was easy, if she was surrounded by all those people, but very soon she and Ranma would be left alone and then... where would her courage be?

Feeling cold, fearful, and suddenly depressed, Akane descended slowly toward her husband and her future; a bride walking toward her honeymoon, as scared as a convict walking toward the gallows.

They left in the red sports car, traveled to Yokohama, and took the ferry that would take them to Thailand.

"I guess we could have flown," said Ranma, "but I've become fond of this car.".

Ranma had reserved a first-class stateroom. They dined in the dining room, and then Ranma allowed Akane to retire for the night first, as he finished his coffee.

Akane disrobed with trembling fingers. She did not know what to expect from their first night together. "We'll let things develop in a natural way," he had promised. But, what could be more natural than a man making love to his wife on their wedding night?

She donned her flimsy satin nightgown and sat trembling on the edge of the bunkbed. She remembered now that, on the few occasions Ranma had touched her, his contact had been very pleasurable; even that episode in his car had filled her with wild excitement. Was that why she felt so tense? Fear or desire... Akane did not know exactly which one of this emotions prevailed in her.

Undoubtedly, she must present an old-fashioned picture of a blushing bride, because when Ranma came in after a short while, he looked at her, smiled, shrugged and disappeared into the bathroom. Then he came out, dressed in silk pajamas.

Stretching his arm, he accidentally brushed against Akane, and she jumped like a startled cat. Ranma's expression, in looking at her, seemed that of a swimming instructor, whose student can't bring herself to dive from the springboard.

"You don't need to look at me like that," he said with a mocking half smile. "I'll tell you something: why don't we sleep a little? It's been a hard day for both of us."

Akane nodded wordlessly. She felt the absurd desire to be embraced by him, to feel those firm and protective arms tight around her. Bur she could not enjoy her husband loving protecion, without giving something in exchange.

Akane stared eye-opened into the darkness for a long time. She knew it would be difficult to sleep, feeling Ranma's presence so near.

Would it have been better had he undressed her and taken her right then and there? Until he did, she was condemned to be a tangle of nerves and strange sensations.

Akane turned around at last and let the movement of the waves lull her to sleep.

From the city of Phuket, they traveled in the sports car, traversing the scented green hills that edged Thailand's South coastline.

"It's hard to imagine a more romantic place than this for a honeymoon," Ranma said, watching Akane askance, his eyes hidden under his sunglasses.

Akane's heart again fluttered crazily.

"But we are not romantic. This honeymoon is only part of a pretence we are playacting for the press and the public," she said.

"Not exactly, I would say. The press and the public are not here with us," Ranma replied.

Anyway, she had to gasp when she saw the villa where they would stay, set on the slope of a hill facing a tiny fishermen's village. Beyond a terrace with an inviting swimming pool, they could glimpse the clear azure of the Indian Ocean.

Ranma stopped the car at the entrance, and a smiling Thai boy came out to open the car doors for them and to take the luggage out of the car trunk, while a woman dressed in black waited on the doorstep to welcome them in. Inside, the furniture was simple and elegant, very adequate for the region's warm climate.

The servant took their suitcases upstairs, and they followed him. The master bedroom was connected, through a marbled bathroom, to a smaller room.

Akane asked the boy to take her suitcase to the second room. After a moment of surprise veiled by politeness, the boy obeyed, and Akane followed him, chatting breathlessly. She was brazenly serving of the boy, as a shield between her husband and her, she realized.

When the servant finally left, Akane turned around to find Ranma behind her. The balcony spanned the whole floor, and he had come in through the double French doors. Now he was there, leaning against the doorjambs, watching her with an ironic expression.

Akane bit her lower lip.

"Ranma, you told me you would not hurry things..." she started to say.

"I said we would let things develop naturally," he replied. "However, if you wanted separate rooms, you only had to ask... _me_. There's no need to resort to sneaky ruses."

Akane lowered her eyes.

"You left me the best room.," Ranma observed, softening his voice. "If you want to, we can exchange rooms."

"No; this one is fine, thank you," she said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to freshen up before lunch."

Ranma shrugged, turned around and retired to his own room. If he felt angry, he didn't show it, and he seemed quite cheerful, when Akane joined him on the terrace for lunch.

"Ranma, to whom does this villa belong?" she wanted to know.

"Me, of course," Ranma answered, as if it were obvious. "I bought it, when I came around here, a few weeks ago."

Before she organized that dinner party, before he proposed. Akane had the uncomfortable feeling that it all was part of a long considered plan. Would any woman do, for the purpose Ranma had in mind?

"I thought I needed a place to rest in Southeast Asia, and this seemed ideal," Ranma said casually. "What's wrong, Akane? You did not think me rich enough to have a villa here?"

"Ranma, I don't care how rich you are," she said, and Ranma watched her for a long time, with a serious, thoughtful expression.

"I know," he stated at last. "There are not many things you care about, besides that old dojo, are they?"

What she had meant was that she was not after his money, but he had managed to twist her words against her. Looking at him fiercely, she retorted:

"That's right... just like you with your financial empire and your public image!"

Ranma looked at her with annoyance.

"I'll go and change to swim a little in the pool. When we're back, we'd better look as if we're having a blast."

The atmosphere between them was icy for the greater part of the day, but the water and the sunshine succeeded at last in sweetening their moods.

"What the heck!" Ranma exclaimed suddenly, when the sun started to set behind the hills. "Go and get dressed... we'll dine out."

Akane donned a white dress and high-heeled sandals. Ranma drove through the hills, through several villages, stopping to have a drink at a small bar by the seaside.

Finalmente, they had dinner at a small, intimate restaurant. Ranma showed himself charming and witty, making her laugh with funny stories.

They were still laughing, when they walked in the warm night air, back to where they had parked the car.

"How about a last coffee?" Ranma suggested, when they were back at the villa.

"Sounds great," said Akane, and both sat down in the terrace. Akane felt relaxed and contented, because of what she had drunk, and because of her husband's cheerful mood.

"Shall we retire for the night?" he asked, finishing the rest of his coffee in one draught.

"I guess so," Akane replied, somewhat reluctant. "Good night, Ranma... and thank you for a wonderful evening."

Ranma rose to his feet at the same time and took her by the shoulders.

"That sounds a little formal, don't you think?" he inquired. "This is what I had in mind, rather."

And he kissed her long and hard, his arms tight around her. Akane felt as if she were swept in a whirlwind, as if the world spinned crazily around her, and she could not breathe, longing and fearful at the same time. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, and Ranma loosened his embrace to deftly unzip her dress, slipped it a little down her shoulders, and his lips found Akane's white throat.

She gasped and stepped fearfully back.

"Ranma... no! You said you would give me time!" she said breathlessly, feeling threatened by the sudden assault of her own desire and how fast things had gone out of control.

Ranma stiffened and watched her straightening her dress.

"How much longer do you think you'll need, Akane? It seemed to me that you wanted it as much as I did. Was I wrong?"

"So that was it!" she replied, accusingly "I thought that we were having fun for its own sake, that we were getting to know each other."

"I want us to get to know each other, certainly, my dear," Ranma said drily. "But you're not making it easy for me. Fine... But I would like to know what is it you are afraid of, exactly."

With that he turned around and left. Some time later, Akane heard the shower running in the master bathroom.

I wish I knew, she thought, as she lay on her bed, listening at the crickets chirping monotonously outside. Did she fear him, or herself; was she afraid she was not the woman he expected?

In the morning, she found him already in the terrace, having breakfast, when she got up. Ranma limited himself to smile and wish her a good morning, without any reference to the previous night's episode. But Akane could not let it pass, without commenting something.

"Ranma... about last night..." she began.

"Forget it." Ranma nibbled on a bun and poured more coffee. "It was my fault, I promised I would not pressure you."

Akane sat down and look intently into his eyes.

"But there's something I want to say. I know that we... we are not in love with each other, but... if we could become friends before becoming lovers... if you know what I mean..."

Ranma watched her for a long time before answering:

"The problem is: these things happen simultaneously. A married couple talks, jokes, argues, makes love... it all is part of the process of mutual discovery. I don't know if the stages can be separated," he shrugged. "But if that's the way you want it, we'll try."

The next few days, Ranma kept his distance and made no attempt to invade his wife's bedroom. They chatted, showed themselves polite and considerate, but, far from getting to know each other better, they seemed more like strangers than they did before they got married.

There was an evident relief in Ranma's voice one night when he announced:

"I'm afraid I'll have to abandon you a whole day tomorrow. I think I warned you about the possibility to conduct some business while we were here, didn't I?"

He did not have to look so happy at the prospect of getting away from her!, Akane thought with annoyance. Her inability to explain to herself why she resented her husband's departure, when she had spent the greater part of the week avoiding him, made her snap:

"You wouldn't be thinking about ruining another historic estate, would you?"

"I don't do that kind of thing, as you well know" he replied icily. "There is a property on the other side of Bangkok I'm interested in."

Irrationally, Akane wished he suggested that she went with him. But Ranma said:

"There's really no use in your coming with me. Most of the day I'll be in business meetings and I guess you would be bored to death."

Ranma left very early the next morning. Akane got dressed, had breakfast and wondered what she would do next. The villa felt lonely without Ranma, the sound of his voice, his tall, tanned body. She missed the electrifying energy of his presence, and it perturbed her to feel that need of him.

She walked all the way to the village, strolled in the market, looking curiously at the stands of fruit, vegetables and other merchandise. Tired of this, she had lunch in an open air restaurant, and later, she went for a long walk in the scented hills surrounding the village.

Ranma had said he would not be back for dinner. Akane dined lightly next to he swimming pool, before retiring to her room early. Alone. But... did she not always sleep alone? Why, then, did she feel Ranma's absence so intensely?

She finally fell asleep, but after a while the sound of the shower running in the bathroom woke her up. Ranma was back!

Akane sat up, startled by the sudden pounding of her heart. Almost unconsciously she got up, went through the double doors to the balcony and stood there, her tenuous silk nightgown clinging to her body in the slight breeze.

The doors to Ranma's room where also open, and there he was, clad only in the pajama pants, the powerful muscles in his shoulders and torso emphasized by the dim glow of a lamp on his night stand.

Akane heard him stifle a gasp, and, unaware that the moonlight made her already revealing nightgown virtually see-through, she could only stammer:

"You're back."

"Did you think I would not come back?" Ranma raised his eyebrows, but his voice was distant, and a surge of wrath shot through Akane.

"Who knows? You seemed so happy to leave..." she accused, and the impetus of her feelings made her come inside the room, where she had never ventured before.

"Does it amaze you I would be happy to get away?" he said, in exasperation. "And even though I feel honored by this visit, I must remind you that you are in my room. Or are you not afraid I might attempt another indecent move?"

The hostile sarcasm in Ranma's voice brought tears to Akane's eyes, and she looked at him with her beautiful face contracted in pain. Every wish to quarrel with him had totally left her.

"Ranma, I'm sorry," she said meekly. "We had an agreement and I have not fulfilled my part."

"Hey!" The anger disappeared from Ranma's eyes, as he crossed the room swiftly, put his arms around her and clasped her tightly to him. "Listen, my darling... don't cry. I'm the one who should be sorry. I promised you time and yet... for crying out loud, Akane, I'm just a man! And you are so desirable!"

Akane raised her distressed eyes, wet with tears.

"Re... really? Do you find me desirable?"

"You should know! Do you not have the face that has sold millions of issues of _Vogue_ , and the body that goes with it?"

"It is not the same than to be desirable... for you," she whispered.

"I think I've made myself clear enough. Did you think I wanted to make love to you, only because you were at hand, because you are female and besides you are my wife? I want you, Akane. Only and exclusively you."

Deep inside Akane, an elementary excitement spiraled upward. Her husband's voice, the moonlight making the whole room look silvery, the touch of his hands on her bare shoulders, they all awakened a powerful sensuous reaction in her. She slipped her hands over his arms, exploring tentatively the firmness of his muscles. What a delicious feeling!

With a throaty groan, Ranma slipped the nightgown straps down her shoulders, and the garment dropped to the floor, exposing her slender body to his burning gaze. She shook her hair back and then stood still, knowing that there was no turning back now, that the crucial moment had arrived.

The fears returned, just for a moment, when Ranma took her in his arms to lay her down on the bed, but he dispelled them with the warmth and firmness of his body, sweeping her into a whirlpool of passion, silencing all doubts and apprehentions.


	8. Chapter 8

**Capítulo 8**

Ranma and Akane did not leave their room until it was almost lunchtime the next day.

There was no crevice in her body left unexplored... no sensation undiscovered... at least that was what she thought... until she found out there still was still more to discover.

"I knew that, underneath that frigid appearance, there was a woman full of fire," said Ranma.

Akane lay on top of a pile of pillows. She was naked and did not care. For the first time, her beauty had acquired a personal meaning and purpose, besides being a mere tool of her work.

"I never thought that making love could be as... as wonderful as it has been with you. But, Ranma, you're almost thirty. Have you never fallen in love... not even once?"

Ranma kept silent for a minute, and then he answered:

"There was a woman, years ago, whom I wanted to marry."

"And?

"Nothing. She had her own career and I had barely started to find my feet in the business world. We parted as friends."

"Now you are rich," Akane remarked.

"What about it? When I'm rejected once, I don't insist again. Besides, now I'm married to you, remember?"

Akane burst laughing and put her arms around his neck, but for the first time he hesitated.

"Sometimes I wonder whether you were right... whether it would have been better to wait a little further," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe you were not really prepared for this."

"You're crazy!" she exclaimed. "How can you say such a thing?"

"You have certainly showed you enjoy making love," he admitted. "But life is not all honeymooning and we'll go back to reality soon. Unless a woman is mature and knows how to handle the situation, she tends to become demanding and possessive. I can't stand that kind of things and it was not part of our bargain."

"You don't have to worry about me in that regard," declared Akane, a little offended. "I prefer some independence as well."

"Remember that," he warned, and began kissing her again. She was still shaken by his caresses, when he remarked calmly: "It's only sex, Akane; don't forget it."

To her, it seemed much. Something irreversible had happened, for better or worse, and after a day or two of so deep a physical absortion in each other that they seemed to need nothing else, it allowed them to discover each other in other aspects as well.

They emerged to the sunny exterior world and rediscovered it with new eyes, beholding the landscape and the flowers, savoring the delicious local dishes with renewed enjoyment, sharing their preferences and discussing goodnaturedly their differences.

It was possible now to talk about their lives before they met. Akane told him about her childhood in the dojo, her vague memories of her mother, and then the wretched experience of her father's remarriage. Ranma talked about a childhood full of financial penury, of his determination of never again going through those privations. He spoke about his arduous climb to the top and the struggle he still did not feel ready to abandon.

He would not tell her more about the woman he had loved once, but in many other ways, Akane felt as if she knew the stubborn boy he had been once, who had walked the hard pathway and was willing to do whatever it took to keep himself at the top.

"In the long run, every good thing comes to an end, Akane," Ranma commented one morning at breakfast. "We can't stay here any longer. I've already taken more free time than I should have. There are business matters I have to handle personally."

"It will be nice to go back home," Akane said smiling.

"Of course," was all Ranma answered, with a mild but enigmatic voice.

The alarm call should have sounded then, but Akane, in danger of falling in love with that man to whom she was married, was not in a position to hear it.

When they returned, summer had arrived to Nerima. The landscape was a synchrony of colors, the sky was bright, the air was fragrant and the trees were laden with fruit.

Akane's heart swelled at the joy of coming back. In an impulse, she clasped her husband's hand.

"Feeling happy?" he asked.

"Oh, yes! Very much! Akane exclaimed. It was wonderful to be back here, her world, with Ranma beside her, to share it together.

Akane perceived the subtle difference as soon as she entered the mansion. It was still the Tendo dojo, esentially, but the wooden floors were polished, the roof had been repaired, and when summer ended, a modern system of central heating would keep the house inhabitable.

"Not bad, huh?" Ranma smiled, watching the stunned and happy expression in his wife's face. "All this cost me a small fortune."

"Ranma, this is... this is undescribable!" Akane exclaimed, hugging her husband. "Oh, look who's here! D-chan! Here, boy!"

Akane disengaged herself from Ranma to kneel and pet the dog, who wagged its tail with irrepressible joy. Laughing, close to tears, Akane raised her head, and from that angle she saw, through the main hall's half-opened door, something she had never expected to see again.

Incredulously, she rose to her feet, feeling her heart skipping several beats.

"My mother's shamisen!" she exclaimed breathlessly.

And there was also the little table she loved so much, the display case... She ran from one room to another, exclaiming with joy and amazement, as she found every antique that Hinako had sold, all in their original places, as if they had never been moved.

Ranma followed her slowly.

"You bought everything," she said, with glittering eyes. "Oh, Ranma, thank you! What a wonderful surprise!"

"I bought it all when Hinako auctioned them," he answered.

Akane stared at him.

"But... Hinako did not tell me."

"Hinako didn't know it was I who bought it all. I did it anonymously."

Akane frowned.

"I don't understand. Why didn't you tell me?" she inquired.

"Perhaps because you didn't ask," he remarked. "For Pete's sake, Akane, stop interrogating me! I simply thought that the furniture belonged in this house, that's all. Are you not glad to see everything back?"

But Akane was recalling the day everything was being put inside the auctioneers' trucks and the deep depression she felt after that. It was then when she felt all alone, when she made her mind to marry Ranma. And yet he could have spared her that suffering. He had already bought the furniture and antiques and nevertheless had concealed that fact from her.

And now he was there, smiling and pleased at himself, as if she should be overwhelmed by gratitude, instead of being indignant at the way she had been manipulated.

That night, she did not have the strength to reject him when he took her in his arms, but she would always feel the certainty that the decision she had always thought she had made of her own accord, had been induced in her deviously.

In the morning, Akane saw her husband's suitcase was already prepared.

"You didn't tell me you would leave so soon," she said. "Of course, I understand I did not ask. Don't you plan to tell me anything, unless I ask you in writing?"

"Malasia. I'll be away for four or five days." Ranma seemed a little cross, but he could not react in any other way to his wife's acrimonious voice. "I left a list of people I want you to invite when I come back. They're important, Akane, so they need to receive the royal treatment."

Yes, sir, she thought ironically, while Ranma's mind was already resolving some aspect of the business that took him to Malasia. Had the allurement of her body already dissipated?, she wondered. Was that what he had meant, when he remarked it was just sex? Did he mean to imply that his interest would not last beyond the honeymoon?

But she had made a pact and was obliged to fulfill her part. Akane went to the phone and spoke with charming politeness with the wives and secretaries of the men Ranma had asked her to invite, she prepared rooms for them and saw to it that they had every comfort.

Meanwhile, she took long walks with D-chan, visited her acquaintances and found solace in the ever-present beauty of her house and the surrounding landscape. That, at least, would always be there and would never abandon her.

Maybe when Ranma came back home, things would get better, she told herself. She would have already gotten over the knowledge that, for him, she was only a decorative object and a gracious social event planner. After all, he had not deceived her, those had been his reasons to marry her. She must recover the serene, professional attitude, with which they had started that marriage contract.

The guests would arrive on Friday night. They were an important banker, an influential real estate agent, with their respective wives, and Ranma's friend, Ryoga Hibiki.

Ranma was supposed to come home in the early afternoon, but a little after lunch, he called to let her know his flight was delayed and that he had no idea when he would be back.

"You'll have to keep them entertained," he said in a distant tone. "With any luck, I'll get home tonight. Everything would be easier if we did not live so far from Tokyo."

"Well, that was your choice," replied Akane, crossly.

She hung up in fury, already regretting her flare of anger. She managed to calm down with a long bath and later, when she was getting dressed in her room, her housekeeper knocked on her door.

"Mr. Ranma's friend called while you were in the bathroom." Akane noticed with irony that he no longer was "Mr. Saotome," but "Mr. Ranma." "He asked me to let you know he will come accompanied by a lady. He seemed anxious to speak to you, but I told him I could not take you out of the bathtub."

"Thank you," Akane answered. "I don't believe there will be any problem."

The guests arrived. However, the banker's wife, a very unpleasant woman, complained during the whole dinner. Her husband seemed annoyed at Ranma's absence, in spite of Akane's reasonable explanations. After all, anyone who often travelled by plane should understand flight delays. Akane had to devote quite some time and efforts to calm them down, at the same time that she entertained the real estate agent, who also seemed to be very upset, and his wife, trying to keep everyone happy. Ryoga was late, besides, when she could have counted on him, to cope with those difficult houseguests.

She heard him arrive at last, and excusing herself, hurried out to receive him and his unexpected companion.

"Akane!" Ryoga kissed her cheeks with sincere affection. "You look lovely. I don't need to ask how the honeymoon went!" He turned toward the woman by his side, who was observing Akane with open interest. "This is Shampoo. She arrived in Tokyo out of the blue and was dying to know you."

She was a beautiful woman, with an expressive voice, a true amazon, irradiating vitality.

"So you're Ranma's wife! Congratulations! I never thought any woman could catch him! How did you manage to do it?"

Akane felt slightly uncomfortable at this woman's frankness, although she seemed to be likable and well-meaning.

"Do you know Ranma?," Akane asked weakly and Shampoo giggled.

"We have known each other for ages! We are not related, but in Kyoto we all know one another! I made poor Ryoga bring me here... I left him no choice. I hope you don't mind."

"Any friend of Ranma's is welcome here," said Akane at once, and she actually felt grateful for that cheerful valkyrie's presence. "He's not back yet," she explained. "His flight was delayed, but he'll arrive later, and I'm sure he will be glad to see you."

After that, the evening became more pleasant. Ryoga was very helpful, since the men could discuss business. Even the banker's wife seemed a little less discontent under the influence of the drinks Ryoga had poured for her.

Shampoo nudged Akane under the table.

"I would try not to serve a lot of _sake_ tothat horrible woman."

Akane struggled to repress her laughter. Shampoo was frank, witty and charming. The only thing she needed now was for Ranma to arrive in a good mood.

They all were in the living room, drinking coffee, when Ranma arrived at last. The house seemed to become alive with his presence, just like Akane.

"I'm glad you all are here, my friends," he said, smiling toward everybody. "I'm sorry I'm late, but you know how these things are."

And then:

"Shampoo? "Akane noticed surprise in his voice, and something else, something strange that alarmed her.

Shampoo rose to her feet and walked toward Ranma, in all naturality. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him, first one cheek and then the other.

"Ranma-kun," she said in her vibrant voice. "You were a rascal for getting married without letting me know, but you see, I came here to meet your wife, and I find her to be very beautiful and likable. "

She released Ranma from her tight embrace, but kept an arm around his waist. Akane could not read the expression in her husband's face. Her eyes met Ryoga's across the room; he seemed restless, as if he wanted to tell her something in gestures. An apology? An explanation?

And then Akane understood. Shampoo was not just a good friend of Ranma's. Everyone in his circle had attended the wedding, and she had not been there. Whyever not? Ranma had not invited her, and intuition told Akane why. They had been more than just friends. We parted as friends, had been Ranma's words. Akane did not believe it. Perhaps Shampoo had not wanted to marry him, but Akane was under the impression that they still were lovers. He had her, Akane, to take care of the Tendo dojo and to help him to be part of Nerima's high society, while he continued his affair with Shampoo.

No wonder Shampoo behaved so friendly. She realized that the marriage was actually a pretense, a deception that did not affect her relationship with Ranma at all.

Conversation flowed around Akane, people laughed and drank coffee, while she sat there, alone with the thoughts seething in her head. She rose to her feet and excused herself, as if she had to go to the kitchen.

She could feel Ranma's eyes following her... he had not spoken to her since he had arrived... but it was Ryoga who followed her to the kitchen.

"Akane?"

She slowly turned around to look at him, not wanting to hear, actually, what she knew he would say. The expression in Ryoga's face was dismayed, his voice was soft and gentle.

"It didn't seem like a good idea to bring Shampoo here with me, but you don't know how stubborn she is," he said. "I wanted to talk to you before, but you could not take my call when I phoned."

Akane shrugged.

"It doesn't matter; I understand," she murmured.

"I don't think you do. We were all friends since childhood: Ranma, I, Shampoo, and another friend, Ukyo. When Mousse, Shampoo's husband, died, Ranma comforted her. I'm sure it all was over, a long time before Ranma married you."

So Shampoo had not only rejected Ranma, but she had married another.

"Shampoo would be very happy to be your friend," Ryoga went on. "Although you would not see her often, of course. She has her own business and leads a very busy life."

"She seems like a nice woman," Akane said. "The truth is I like her very much," which was true, disconcerting, and in no way made the situation any better. "I must go, Ryoga."

"It seems to me as if everything is not fine between you and Ranma. I hope I'm wrong, of course."

"Everything is fine," Akane assured him, automatically.

I wish it were, Akane told herself. No jealousy, it was not a part of the bargain.

And now she was married to a man who had a permanent mistress! That night, in a few more hours, he would expect her to share his bed. Akane tried to control her erratic breathing. Would she be able to sleep again in her husband's arms?

Or, which was even harder to tell, would she be able to learn to live without him?


	9. Chapter 9

**Capítulo 9**

It was long past midnight when Akane finally went up the stairs.

The moment she feared so much had come. Should she pretend that everything was fine, that she accepted the idea than Shampoo was just an old friend? How would she react when Ranma touched her... kissed her?

But when she opened the door softly, she saw than Ranma was already soundly asleep. Well, he had had a difficult week. No wonder he was exhausted. Akane stood there, motionless, for a while, watching his sleep-relaxed face, and wondered why she felt so empty and abandoned. At last she turned the light off and got in bed.

When she woke up she found herself alone in bed. She got up, opened the curtains and she saw them: Ranma and Shampoo. They were walking in the gardens, chatting together. Shampoo suddenly laughed and gave Ranma a slight, affectionate shove, and he retaliated by tousling her violet blue hair. Akane let the curtain fall and stepped back _._

So, Ranma loved Shampoo? A woman who had rejected him once, who had married another and who was not willing to renounce her busy life to give herself to the man she loved? I'm only the second in preference, Akane told herself. Somebody to fill the void.

When Akane went down, they were in the dining room, talking and laughing gleefully _._

"Good morning," Akane greeted them, as serenely as she could manage.

"Hello," Ranma answeredcheerfully _._ "You seemed very tired, so I thought I should let you sleep. Anyway, I wanted to talk with Shampoo."

"We went out for a long walk," said Shampoo, radiant with enthusiasm, and in no way fazed over Akane's presence. "This place is lovely! I understand that you grew up in this house, Akane."

"Yes," she answered, in a weak voice. This woman was frank and friendly, but... was it possible for them to share the same man and stay friends? "My family has lived in this house for four centuries."

"Same as your family and their castle, right, Ranma-kun?" Shampoo comented, smiling. "No wonder you feel so at ease in this atmosphere."

Akane was left speechless, and even though she didn't say anything, her bewilderment was obvious.

"Did he conceal that from you? Oh, Ranma-kun, you shouldn't!" Shampoo gave him a mock whack on his arm."His ancestors were samurais during the feudal age and had nobility titles. Of course, it all disappeared... you know, the war and all that."

Ranma smiled carelessly and shrugged.

"I never saw anything of that, so for me it's not important."

Important or not, he should have told me, thought Akane. She remembered those afternoons in Thailand when they had talked about themselves... or, at least, she had talked about herself. He had only confided some unimportant details. There were no real confidences, no deep, genuine exchange. "It's only sex, Akane". And that was all it was, after all, she thought bitterly.

From there, she felt that the day, her marriage and the whole situation slipped between her fingers. Like an automaton, she ordered meals, served drinks, sustained conversations, kept everyone happy with her social skills which, fortunately, did not abandon her.

With Ranma she was polite and cordial, perhaps too much. But she could not help it. Every time she saw him, she seemed to intercept a natural, carefree smile directed toward Shampoo, and in Akane's mind, the scene went on until she could imagine him kissing her, embracing her, making love to her...

The poison worked slowly but constantly, during the whole day, and in the late afternoon, when the guests were resting in their rooms, she slipped away discreetly to her room. Without putting it into concrete words, she had reached a decision.

She could no longer share Ranma's bed. If he touched her, she would not have the strength to resist it. And she was not broad-minded enough to sleep with a man who had just come from another woman's bed.

She had no idea where Ranma was right now... he very well could be in Shampoo's arms in that moment... but in his absence she worked quickly, transferring her clothes and possessions from the master bedroom to the one she occupied before their marriage.

She was taking the last cosmetic jar from her vanity table, when the door opened softly. Without turning around, she felt her husband's gaze on her and she shuddered involuntarily.

"Akane? What on earth are you doing?"

She made herself turn around and face him calmly.

"I'm moving back into my old room," she answered. "I've thought it over and concluded that you were right, when you said that I was not prepared for... for this intimate relationship."

"Mmm," Ranma did not move, nor did he stop watching her with the same serene expression. "Do you think it possible for us to go back to a platonic relationship? We have made love several times and we have enjoyed very much. Or at least, I had that impression."

"So, once a man and a woman have been intimate, must they be intimate forever?"

A glacial smile touched Ranma's mouth.

"It is often the case with married couples."

And with unmarried couples too, thought Akane.

"With married couples, it is not usual to hide things from each other," she replied. "You never told me that your family used to live in a castle, or that they had nobility titles," she accused.

Ranma shrugged.

"What does that matter? It all belongs in the past. I never attached any importance to my family's former titles. Whatever I have achieved, it has all been by my own efforts. If that is not enough for you, I'm very sorry."

He opened the door wide, as if inviting her to leave.

"I won't stop you," he said icily. "And there's no need for you to lock your door. I'm not in the habit of forcing women to receive my attentions."

Akane was trembling when she reached the safety of her room. She asked herself whether, in her heart of hearts, she would not have preferred that he forbade, protested, took her in his arms.

And now she had to play the role for which she had been hired. She had to be charming with those strangers, smile and make them feel at home, and then she had to come back to that room to lie alone on the narrow bed, without her husband's caresses and the sound of his laughter in the darkness.

Besides, in leaving the conjugal bedroom, she had made things easier for Ranma and Shampoo, she thought in bitter irony.

It seemed as if the torture of that weekend would never be over; but it ended at last. The banker and the real estate agent, with their respective wives, left on Sunday night, after dinner. Akane had kept her false smile for so long that, when the guests left, she felt her face had become stiff, as if made of wood.

"You could finish that deal in Malasia, Ryoga," said Ranma to his friend, when they were drinking a last cup of coffee in the living room. Then he turned formally toward Akane. "Tomorrow I must leave again for a few days."

She frowned.

"So soon? Where are you going this time?"

"I'll be going from one place to another, so I can't tell you exactly where," he answered. "I'll call you to let you know when I'm coming back. Shampoo..." there was warmth in his voice once more when he addressed her, "I can take you to the airport, if it's of any use to you, but I have to leave very early."

"All right," said Shampoo, smiling broadly. "I'll go to bed now, so I'll be able to be up early tomorrow."

Akane felt tempted to tell them there was no need of that ridiculous pretense. She knew very well they would spend the night in the same bed, and then they would leave together tomorrow to go anywhere they wanted. Well, why not? There was little Akane could do in that regard. She was married to him; Ranma had fulfilled his part of the bargain, and she had the dojo. He had promised her nothing more, not faithfulness, certainly, so, how could she demand it from him now?

After everybody left, everything was just the same. The old house was peaceful, the gardens bloomed, a bluish haze softened the edges of the faraway mountains. It all was there, everything she had always loved. Then, why did she feel so sad? Why was it all not enough?

For three days, Akane wandered through the house like a forlorn ghost. She had heard nothing from Ranma in days, and jumped everytime the phone rang. And finally a kind of rebelliousness invaded her.

I'm a young, beautiful woman, she told herself, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Why should I stay here, waiting for a man who is having a good time with another woman? I promised to be here to organize his parties and take care of his friends and business associates, but I never promised to sit around while he is having fun somewhere else.

She prepared a small suitcase and took the train for Tokyo. It never occurred to her to find refuge in her father's new home in Osaka. They had briefly spoken on the phone once or twice, but she didn't want her stepmother finding malicious solace in the fact that her marriage was floundering so soon.

Yuka, her old roommate, was pleased at seeing her, but indecisive about giving her lodging.

"Mariko is here, you know?, the girl that took your place," she explained. "Besides, why should you need to stay in our apartment? I would have thought that Ranma Saotome's wife would have made reservations at the Ritz Tokyo!"

"It would only be a couple nights," Akane insisted weakly. "I wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch. I don't want to go to a hotel, where I would find no familiar faces."

Yuka yielded at once.

"I'm sorry, Akane; I hadn't considered it from that angle," she said. "Of course you are welcome. A few friends are going dancing at a nightclub tonight. Will you come with us?"

"I'd like to... but... I don't want to be in the way. I don't have an escort..."

"It's not that kind of outing," Yuka assured her. "Akari and Asuza are going, remember them from your old agency? And Hiroshi, Sayuri's cousin. Also Mikado, a friend of Hiroshi's. Come on, you didn't come all the way to Tokyo just to sit down to watch TV. I'm sure that your husband will not mind, if you are among friends."

"He won't mind it at all," Akane murmured bitterly. Actually, Ranma would not give a damn where she were, what she did, or with whom, as long as she were at the Tendo dojo whenever he needed her there.

It seemed to her as if it had been centuries since the time she was single and carefree, although it actually had been only a few months, and to compensate the awkardness she felt she found herself drinking more than she usually did, laughing and talking louder and dancing more frantically.

"You are a great girl, Akane!" Mikado, Hiroshi's friend, shouted over the music. "If I were your husband, I would never take my eyes off you, even for an instant!"

Mikado was fun and handsome, an excellent dancer, and his obvious admiration for her worked wonders on Akane's bruised ego. When the music became slower and mellower, and the lights grew dim, Mikado pulled her closer to him, resting his cheek on her hair.

"Akane," Mikado murmured in her ear. "There are too many people here... I'd rather be alone with you. Let's go to my apartment."

Why not?, Akane asked herself. It wasn't different from what Ranma was doing. If he had a mistress, why shouldn't she take a lover as well? Served him right!

Mikado wrapped his arms around Akane's waist, embracing her tightly, and started kissing her neck in the semi-darkness. Suddenly, a wave of deep distaste enveloped her. She could not go on with that absurd game.

"No, please... let go of me," she stammered, struggling to break free of him.

When she managed to detach herself from Mikado, Akane worked her way through the dancing couples until she reached the relative calm of the ladies' restroom.

She could not go with Mikado or anyone else, not even goaded by the revengeful wish to pay Ranma back in kind. She wanted to be touched only by Ranma, to lie in his arms, to hear his voice, see his face in waking up in the morning. To talk with him, to argue with him, to love him...

Love him... That was it, that was where she had gone wrong. She had married him in cold blood, or so she thought, and without wishing it, without realizing it, she had fallen in love with him. What a fool she was, what a huge mistake, because now she had not the slightest idea what to do next.

Akane came back to the Tendo dojo because it was her home, because she had nowhere else to go to. And because, after all was said and done, she had an incontrollable desire to see her husband again.

Although she didn't know at all how she would react when he finally showed up. She hardly could bring herself to confess to him that she had broken the terms of their bargain and she had fallen in love with him. No jealousy, no sentimental attachment. He not only did not love her, but there was another woman in his life.

The only way she could keep him was to accept the situation just as it was. She would have to face a future in which she would be his wife, without being his woman. Could she endure that? The alternative was to leave him, and that was out of the question.

She started to brush her silky blue hair before the mirror, with a melancholy expression in her beautiful face.

The noise of a car approaching startled her. Her heart started throbbing painfully in her chest, and she found it hard to breathe _._ That was Ranma; she knew the sound of his sports car well but, normally, he did not drive it so brusquely.

Petrified, Akane sat up, with the hairbrush in her hand. She heard the sound of his suitcase hitting the floor, the swift footsteps running up the stairs. Something hadput him in a rage, there was no doubt about it.

The way things stood, he would go to the master bedroom and they would not see each other until the next day. Maybe then she would already have recovered her spirits and Ranma his cheerful mood. The best she could hope for was that, at breakfast time, they both treated each other as two civilized human beings.

"Akane! Where the hell are you?"

Akane froze like an ice statue. There was a glacial ferocity in Ranma's voice and, without giving her time to react, he opened violently the door to her room. She saw his face on the mirror, darkened by fury, his lips tightened and his muscles tense.

With a pounding heart, feeling torn between a treacherous joy in seeing him again and fear of that anger she had never seen in him before, Akane turned around, unable to repress the shudder that jolted her whole body.

"For God's sake, Ranma! What is wrong? It looks as if you were about to commit murder!"

Those were not the most adequate words for the situation. He clenched his hands and she knew, without having to ask, that her husband's anger was directed towards her. Fear gripped her chest and left her breathless.

"I might," he said, his voice hoarse under a violent emotion. "If you are not careful I might as well murder you. Don't press your luck any further!"

He shut the door behind him and went on until he was right before her, his hands still clenched.

"I'd like to know what the hell you were doing, allowing that fellow to fondle you!"

He put a hand into his jacket's pocket and brought a photograph out, slamming it brusquely on her vanity table. And there she was, hugging Mikado, who had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, while he kissed her neck.

"If that's the kind of thing you do in public, I don't know what will you do in private!" Ranma said harshly. "Did you have a good time?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Capítulo 10**

He was furious enough to kill her. But now, her husband's contempt and wrath caused in her a different reaction. Akane rose to her feet to face him, and her anger equalled his, when she said:

"You have no right to reproach me anything. I'm here whenever you need me, fulfilling the work for which you hired me. Whatever I do in my free time, it is my business and no one else's. No sentimental attachments, no bindings _._.. remember?"

She might have told him that nothing of it was true, that she had only danced with Mikado, and nothing more, and she had decided to go to Tokyo spurred on by the pain his unfaithfulness had caused her. But, why should she ask for forgiveness and understanding? Let him believe that she had a lover, if he so wished. She would not allow him to realize that she loved him, certainly!

Ranma pointed an accusing finger toward the picture.

"It is my business when this is the result. I've got a right to demand propriety and discretion from my wife, especially in public. Your face is very well-known, Akane, just like my last name. That picture was sent to me with the threat of publishing it in a tabloid. I had to pay up an important sum of money to stop it. I don't like to be blackmailed, and this behavior is not what I had expected from you."

"What a pity!" she snapped sarcastically. "So when you opened the package, the merchandise was not what you expected! Don't you want to take me back to the store to get your money back?"

She saw her husband's eyes narrowing, his face darkening, and fear again contracted Akane's chest. She had once thought that, if she had Ranma Saotome on her side, she would never fear anything. But, what would happen to anyone who had him against her?

Ranma shot her a contemptuous look and then left the room, violently slamming the door behind him.

For a long time Akane stood still, but at last she curled under the bed covers. During the whole night, she tossed and turned restlessly; she relived that violent confrontation with Ranma again and again, the terrible anguish of loving him, and the bitterness of knowing that, under his anger, there only was indifference and disdain. But, had she not known it right from the start? It was she who had broken the rules. And at least she had salvaged her pride, because he had not the least inkling that she loved him.

A gray dawn was starting to light up the sky, when she at last stopped trying to sleep. She was sure of one thing. She could no longer live with a man whom she loved and who would never love her. A man who, nevertheless, insisted in a double moral standard: a blameless behavior from a woman he did not want, and absolute freedom for him.

Akane was drinking coffee and toying with a bun when Ranma entered the dining room. Clean, just shaved, dressed immaculately, he little resembled the furious savage from last night. Only his icy, flinty eyes were the same, confirming to her that his attitude towards her had not softened.

Ranma did not sit down, only lowered his eyes to hers, and Akane looked back at him. There was a long silence between them.

"I don't know what you think," he finally said. "But I think we should break up. People will talk but, in business, the key is to know when to dissolve a partnership that does not work."

Akane noddedlistlessly _._

"All right. I can't live with you, Ranma. I was not what you expected, and it maybe was an absurd idea right from the start. I will agree to any arrangement you decide."

"We'll let my lawyers earn their wages and handle everything," Ranma said, in an inexpressive voice. "As far as the Tendo dojo is concerned, it is yours. I will never come back here, but I'll have the property rights signed over to you." Watching the stunned expression in her face, he sketched an ironic smile. "That was what you wanted, after all, wasn't it?"

Akane came back to Tokyo from modeling swimsuits in Bali; the depression she felt was owing to much more than the exhaustion from the trip and the change in climate. She had not been feeling well lately, her normal good appetite had abandoned her, had felt nauseated over everyday things, and she woke up in the middle of the night with absurd, extravagant cravings. Her inner clock worked crazily, and what was a terrible suspicion a few days after leaving Japan suddenly became unavoidably real: she was pregnant.

Waiting for her turn at the doctor's office, Akane wondered what would she do if the test results were positive. She had gone back to modeling a day after Ranma left her, and a pregnancy would make her work difficult, if not impossible. She had a small but comfortable apartment, enough money for her needs, but a baby would pose different problems... clothing, schooling, an adequate home with a mother always at hand _._

The ironic thing was that, even though the divorce proceedings were already going on, a plentifulsum of money was deposited every month in Akane's bank account, although it remained untouched by her. And the Tendo dojo, which she had left the next day after Ranma's departure, remained empty, except for the service staff _._

I will never live there again, Akane had thought sadly. She had loved that house all her life, she still loved it, but now, without Ranma, it had become an empty shell, which she could not inhabit without seeing her husband's face in every room, without hearing his voice in every hallway.

Five minutes in the doctor's office turned every idea in her mind on its head, and she came out with a smile in her tired but beautiful face. She was indeed with child, and now that it was a fact, not a mere suspicion, there was nothing more important than that life already pulsating in her womb _._

Walking down the gray streets, swept by an icy wind, Akane saw little of her surroundings. I'm going to have a baby, she told herself again and again, and the fear now was replaced by a sweet, secret delight. There would be problems, she knew it, but right then she didn't care. She was carrying Ranma's baby, the child they had created together... it had not all been in vain, after all.

And now, you should stop behaving like a fool and start thinking about your child, she chided herself. When the baby were born, the divorce would already be definitive, but she and Ranma were too well-known for the birth to remain a secret.

She did not want his money, not a penny for herself, but her child had a right to a proper upbringing, and to deny him or her that right because of mistaken pride would be an error. A sudden pain pierced her: given what Ranma thought about her, he could well refuse to believe that the baby was his. It would be easy to prove it, but Akane straightened her shoulders resolutely. If he did not believe it, it wouldn't matter. Her child would have, at least, what she herself had had: a happy childhood in the Tendo dojo. If Ranma stopped the money he gave to her now, claiming that he was not the baby's father, he would not be able to take the house away from her, since he had already had it signed over to her. She could live there with her baby, not in wealth, but they would manage somehow.

Akane walked on, still obliviousto her surroundings, and in turning around a corner she slammed against a woman walking in the opposite direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry,"she apologized, trying to move aside, but the other woman grabbed her arm, and the deep, vibrant voice jolted her back to reality.

"Akane! What a wonderful surprise!"

Shampoo sketched the same frank, friendly smile Akane remembered well from that fateful visit to the Tendo dojo. What a day, to run into her husband's mistress, Akane thought.

"Shampoo," she said tensely. "How are you?"

"Fine, as always," Shampoo answered in a cheerful voice. "But what about you? I find you lovely, although a little thin _."_

"I'm fine. Excuse me, but I'm in a hurry," Akane said, anxious to cut that disturbing encounter short. But Shampoo was adamant.

"No way. I'm not letting you go. I'm so happy we ran into each other!" she exclaimed "Let's go have a coffee."

She almost dragged Akane with her to a cafeteria and ordered two cups and pastries, without consulting her. Actually, Akane was glad of being able to sit down, because a sudden bout ot exhaustion gripped her, but she wrinkled her nose at the smell of the coffee. She had reached a point in which she could not even sip the beverage without feeling nauseated.

"Ranma told me that you two were no longer together _,_ " Shampoo saidwithout beating around the bush _._ "He would not tell me why, and that surprised me, because we tell each other everything since we were kids. But everytime your name is mentioned, he is rendered speechless."

Akane looked at the woman before her in astonishment. It was not possible! She seemed truly worried, and yet, the failure of Ranma's marriage could not help but being a piece of good news for her.

"I would have thought you knew everything," murmured Akane.

"Well, I don't. And I'm really worried about him, he looks really affected..." Shampoo suddenly stopped and frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that, Akane?

"Stop it, Shampoo, you don't need to pretend anymore," Akane said drily.

"Whatever do you mean?" Shampoo seemed sincerely bewildered.

"I'm aware of everything between you two. Ranma told me that he once wanted to marry you and you rejected him."

"Ranma told you that? Are you sure?" Shampoo asked in a strange voice.

"Well... not in so many words, but he told me that there was a woman once... well, when you showed up I drew conclusions..."

Shampoo's hand alighted softly on Akane's arm.

"Akane, it wasn't me whom Ranma wanted to marry. It was my friend, Ukyo, who now lives with her husband in Kobe, running a very important restaurant. I think that sometimes Ukyo regrets not having married Ranma, had she known how rich he would become. Oh, of course I must admit that Ranma and I had a kind of affair, but it was more like a friends-with-benefits thing than anything else. He helped me get over my husband's death, and I him over Ukyo's rejection. But then it was over and we went back to be just friends. There hasn't been anything between us in that regard since... oh, long before he ever met you! Akane, take care!"

The cup of cofee had slipped from Akane's hands and the liquid slopped all over the table. Shampoo hailed the waitress, after a short while they had a fresh cup and everything was back to normal.

"Poor little you, so you thought Ranma and I were lovers?" Akane nodded, dazed. "How ghastly must it have been for you. Akane, I swear that he and I are just good friends! Actually, I already have someone else in my life."

Akane stirred her coffee automatically, watching Shampoo. Ranma had not been unfaithful to her, either before or during their marriage, and he was not in love with Shampoo.

"Why did I not have more faith in him? Why did I allow that stupid idea to enter my mind?" Akane whispered almost to herself.

"Because you love him, and love makes us all stupid and awkward," exclaimed Shampoo. "And I would bet my life that he loves you too. I never saw him so obsessed over any other woman, not even Ukyo. Do something, Akane, before it is too late for you two. You should not allow a misunderstanding ruin everything there was between the two of you."

Akane sighed.

"It wasn't only that. Ranma thought I had somebody else, although it wasn't true. I loved him too much, toendure his not loving me. Oh, it is all so complicated!

"Talk to him," said Shampoo. "What do you have left to lose? Things could hardly be any worse than they already are, dont you think?"

Akane went home sunk in deep reflections. There still was much that she did not understand about Ranma. He had married her for reasons other than love, and yet, he had endeavored to give her everything that could make her happy. Akane had been wrong about him, regarding a very important matter: his friendship with Shampoo. Could she be wrong about other matters too?

Shampoo thought that Ranma loved her. Could it be possible that he loved her, even a little, or that he could learn to love her over time? Was there something that could be salvaged between them? She, at least, had a lot of love to give... as long as he wanted to receive it.

"Don't call him through his lawyers," Shampoo had suggested. "They have probably advised him not to talk to you. I'll give you Ryoga's number. Both he and Ranma are in Japan right now. I'm sure that Ryoga would be willing to help you."

Ranma's friend was understanding but cautious, when Akane phoned him.

"Shampoo told me that you wanted to talk to him, but I don't know... you hurt him quite a lot, Akane. Ranma has not been himself lately."

Akane's heart skipped a beat. If that was true, it meant he still harbored feelings for her.

"He hurt me too," she defended herself. "I just want to see him once more. If it does not work, I promise I'll leave him alone."

There was a pause, and then Ryoga said:

"Leave it to me. I can promise you nothing, but I'll see what I can do."

During the rest of that day, and the next, Akane heard nothing, and began deducting that Ranma had rejected the idea of seeing her again. Her hopes died within her, for if he refused to meet her, then everything was truly over between them. She would have to go her separate way, without seeing him again.

Well, she guessed she had her answer. If Ranma felt even the tiniest spark of love for her, he wouldn't have refused so emphatically to hear what she had to say.

It was snowing a little that morning; a carpet of ice crystals covered the ground, when Akane came back home from doing a little shopping. She entered the house and when she looked up she saw him there, his face neither hard nor friendly, just alert. Akane gasped.

"Ranma! How did you get in?"

"You should not leave your key under the plant pot, Akane," he said. The sound of his voice very nearly brought tears to her eyes, and she wondered whether she could live without hearing that sound all the days of her life.

She dropped her purchases and controlled the crazy impulse to run and hug him.

"Do you... do you want a cup of coffee?" she stammered.

"No," said Ranma impatiently. "Ryoga said you wanted to talk to me. I would have thought there was nothing left to be said between us, but Ryoga thought I should listen to you. All right, I'm listening."

"You are not making this easy."

"It is not. Our last encounter wasn't pleasant."

"It wasn't pleasant for me either!" Akane snapped, and then she sighed. "Oh, Ranma, I just wanted to tell you what I should have said then, but I didn't because I was too proud and I was furious. I'm so sorry over that damn picture. I know that I acted like a fool, but nothing happened. I did not sleep with that man; actually, I only met him that night and I've never seen him again."

She looked at him steadily, unblinking, fearful that she was not causing any impression in him. The only reaction she could read was a slight relaxing in his face.

"I could believe you," he said in a stony tone, "if you explained whyever you left my bedroom. The logical deduction was that you were not happy, that you realized you had made a mistake and that you wanted to dissolve the bond between us by any means."

This was the point of no return. Either she told him everything, or she let him go... forever.

"I did it all because... because I was jealous," she said at last. "I don't know where I got the crazy idea that you and Shampoo were lovers... that she was the woman you wanted to marry once. I didn't know about Ukyo. You never talked about Shampoo, you did not invite her to the wedding, but you were so happy to see her..." She dropped her eyes, unable to look at her husband in the eye.

A tone of disbelief tinged Ranma's voice.

"I did not invite her to the wedding, because she was out of the country. There are many friends of mine that you haven't met yet, for the simple reason that we haven't known each other for long. Of course I was glad to see her. We have known each other since childhood. Maybe that's why I never spoke about her; for me she is only Shampoo. A friend I take for granted."

Akane heard him moving, and suddenly she felt his warmth when he drew near to her and took her by the shoulders.

"Akane, look at me."

She looked up and looked at those alert, piercing eyes.

"You said you were jealous... why?" asked Ranma. "Why should you care about what I did? You had what you wanted, what you married me for. You had the Tendo dojo."

"Perhaps that was enough in the beginning," she said, so softly that it was almost a whisper. "But later it was not enough any longer. When we were in Thailand... well, you remember how it was. And for me it wasn't "just sex," Ranma. I don't give myself that easily. Although I knew you warned me not to fall in love with you."

Ranma's hands tightened on her shoulders.

"You... you fell in love with me?"

"Yes, I did. I'm sorry, Ranma. I know that was not what we agreed on, but yes, I fell in love with you."

Now she had said it and, oddly enough, she did not feel embarrased nor ridiculous, but intensely relaxed, as if a huge weight had been lifted off her back.

Ranma threw back his head and laughed loudly.

"You are sorry? You say you are sorry? I can't believe this!"

He took her in his arms, drawing her close to him, as if he would never let her go.

"Akane, my sweet, absurd little wife, that warning was for my own protection. I was trying to keep you at a distance, so you wouldn't realize that _I_ was in love with _you,_ " he murmured hoarsely against her hair. "But you kept saying that it was all a pretense, that we should be friends, that we were not in love with each other, and of course to me it meant that _you_ were not in love with _me._ Did you not notice I wanted you in my life by any means, right from the first day I saw you walking with D-chan? But you were determined to see me as a scoundrel, so I had to be sneaky."

Akane broke free from Ranma's embrace and looked into his eyes, bewildered.

"I thought that you... that you wanted... somebody to organize your social life. That is what you led me to believe."

"I could have hired anyone to do that! Heck, I had no need to renounce my freedom and marry anyone!" he exclaimed _._ "But you were so obsessed with that dojo that the only way I could have you was by offering it to you."

A sudden smile, like a sunbeam breaking among storm clouds, made Akane's lovely face look radiant.

"Ranma Saotome! Are you trying to tell me that you do love me? If so, what are you waiting for, to show me more clearly?"

The swiftness with which he took her in his arms again left her breathless. The world started dissolving around her, and Akane knew once more the sharp, tangy sweetness of her husband's kisses.

"No... wait," he said, moving his mouth away from hers. "I want to tell you something about me before going any further. I have lived alone for most of my life, I have had to struggle hard for what I have, and it's true that I tend to be reserved. The only woman in whom I was interested before you rejected me, and I was determined not to repeat that experience."

He paused.

"When I met you," he continued, "right from the first moment I saw you I knew that something irrevocable had happened, that I could not walk away from you any more than I could stop breathing. When I carried you home in my arms that first day, I couldn't believe how beautiful and fragile you looked, making me want to protect you for the rest of my life, and when I kissed you that time in my car I knew without a doubt that I was already hopelessly in love with you. I admit that I pressured you into marrying me, that I hurried the wedding, that I manipulated things, because I was determined to make you my wife no matter how. And once we were married, it was hard to keep my hands off you after you let me know in no uncertain terms that I was going too fast, because all I could think of was kissing you and making you mine, but I was prepared to wait for as long as necessary, and maybe you would have learned to love me over time. Then you came into my room that night on our honeymoon, and you looked so lovely in the moonlight that I lost control. Perhaps I should have waited until you loved me, but I could not find it in me to regret it later, and I thought maybe making love would help moving things along. Then we went back to the dojo, and I thought everything was fine, but next thing I knew, you coolly left my bed and announced that it all had been a mistake, and I started to despair about your ever loving me. I feel like an idiot now, but I truly had no idea what you were thinking about Shampoo, because I really could see no one else but you, even when we were apart. And when I thought you were cheating on me, I went crazy with jealousy. Afterwards I thought it was preferable to let you go and give you what you wanted, rather than for you to stay with me just to keep your old house. Then, just when I had resigned myself to having lost you, when I was trying to forget you and to regain a little bit of peace, out of the blue Ryoga told me you wanted to talk to me, and I felt terrified. Just the idea of seeing you again when I loved you so much and you felt nothing for me was torture. You will never imagine what it cost him to convince me, and what it cost me to get the courage to show up here today, not knowing what to expect from you. I didn't dare to acknowledge what I felt for you... but I love you, Akane. What would you have me do about it?"

Her smile deepened at his words.

"Oh, Ranma, we were such fools! We wasted so much time! Shampoo was right, love makes us all stupid. I was so afraid you would laugh at me and fling my love back to my face. And now you tell me that you have loved me all along. What would I have you do about it, you say? I want you to keep on loving me, to take me back to the Tendo dojo as your wife, and to forget all about this foolish misunderstanding... so we can have our baby under Dr. Tofu's watchful care," she concluded softly, taking one of Ranma's hands and placing it on her belly.

"My goodness!" Ranma exclaimed, looking at her with joyful disbelief. "Are you...? Are we...? Oh, my darling! Why didn't you tell me right from the start? Of course my wife will have our baby at our home!"

Akane put her arms lovingly around his neck.

"I didn't want you to take me back just because I'm pregnant, but because you love me."

"Well, now you know it," Ranma stated firmly. "I love you with my whole heart." Akane closed her eyes, and she rested her head against her husband's shoulder.

And I you, my darling, she thought.

 _The end._

 _If you reached this far, thanks for reading!_

 _Shree, these words are for you. I hope you liked it. Thanks for your support and feedback. Maybe you noticed I enlarged Ranma's explanation in the last scene quite a bit. The original one was too bare-bones. Anyway, thanks for inspiring me to embark in this project called Love caprice!_


End file.
